Preschool Storytime Ideas
Cowboys and Cowgirls – revised
Preschoolers don’t ask for horse stories as often as they do train books, but they will enjoy a storytime about cowboys and cowgirls. A simple craft that is very inexpensive, too, is a muslin bandana. Cut the muslin in squares, (you don’t need to finish the edges), and let the kids stamp the bandanas with various rubber stamps, or color them with markers. Be sure to sing “She’ll Be Comin’ Around the Mountain,” and “Oh, Susannah.”
Lowell, Susan. THE BOOTMAKER AND THE ELVES. and LITTLE RED COWBOY HAT. Lowell sets her fairytales spoofs in the Wild West.
Johnston, Tony. THE COWBOY AND THE BLACK EYED PEA. This spoof of The Princess and the Pea is set out West, where a cowboy is tricked with a pea under his saddle.
Stutson, Caroline. COWPOKES. Ten cowboys star in this brief, rhythmic story that feature engaging cartoon illustrations by Daniel San Souci.
Stein, David Ezra. COWBOY NED AND ANDY. Andy the horse tries to obtain a birthday cake for Cowboy Ned.
Demarest, Chris. COWBOY ABC. A rhyming celebration of cowboy culture.
Heap, Sue. COWBOY BABY. Cowboy Baby needs to roundup his toys before going to bed.
Appelt, Kathi. COWBOY DREAMS. A lullaby for young buckaroos, with a rhyming text and an equally dream-like illustration style.
Loomis, Christine. COWBOY BUNNIES. A rhyming story about the daily tasks of a cowboy bunny, with illustrations painted on slats of wood.
Burton, Virginia Lee. CALICO THE WONDER HORSE. With a book design similar to a comic book, this action packed story features all the cowboy action kids want in a story.
Wheeler, Lisa. SIXTEEN COWS. Cowboy Gene and Cowgirl Sue graze their cattle on adjoining ranches; watch what happens when the fence falls down!
Janni, Rebecca. EVERY COWGIRL NEEDS A HORSE. A little girl wants everything cowgirl-themed for her birthday, including a gift of a horse.
Sturges, Philemon. SHE’LL BE ‘COMIN’ ‘ROUND THE MOUNTAIN. The lyrics to the traditional song are paired with illustrations by Ashley Wolff.
Also see the previous Cowboys and Cowgirls storytime ideas page from May 2000.