* * *
Later that night, I’m in bed, thinking about the rodeo. Ugly Brother is on the bed, too. (Don’t tell Momma, okay?)
“I sure wish you could’ve seen me ride around those barrels, faster than lightning,” I tell Ugly Brother. “Star was a perfect pony.”
He barks twice.
“I love my new sparkly crown,” I go on, “but I’m still not a real beauty queen yet. Do you think I can do it?”
Ugly Brother barks twice again.
I put my cowboy hat on top of Ugly Brother’s head and pull the string tight up under his chin. He looks kinda sad to be wearing my pink hat again. I give him a big kiss. Then he licks me.
“No licking on the mouth!” I shout. “I’m a queen now, so you have to follow my orders!”
Ugly Brother snuggles down next to me in my fluffy pink bed. With the stars twinkling outside, I drift off to sleep, dreaming about being a real, true beauty queen.
Marci Bales Peschke was born in Indiana, grew up in Florida, and now lives in Texas with her husband, two children, and a feisty black-and-white cat named Phoebe. She loves reading and watching movies.
When Tuesday Mourning was a little girl, she knew she wanted to be an artist when she grew up. Now, she is an illustrator who lives in South Pasadena, CA. She especially loves illustrating books for kids and teenagers. When she isn’t illustrating, Tuesday loves spending time with her husband, who is an actor, and their two sons.
bridle (BRYE-duhl)—the straps that fit around a horse’s head and mouth and are used to control it
bronco (BRONG-ko)—a type of wild horse
buckboard (BUK-bord)—a horse-drawn carriage
bullpen (BULL-pen)—a secure area where bulls are kept
chaps (CHAPS)—leather leggings that fit over jeans and protect the legs of people riding on horseback
chuckwagon (CHUHK-wag-uhn)—a covered wagon that serves as a portable kitchen
dismount (diss-MOUNT)—to get down from a horse
Paint (PAYNT)—a type of horse with patterns of dark and light hair
Palomino (pal-oh-MEE-noh)—a horse that has a gold coat and a white mane and tail
reins (RAYNZ)—straps that attach to a bridle to control a horse
saddle (SAD-uhl)—a leather seat for a rider on the back of a horse
steer (STEER)—a young male of the cattle family
1. In this book, many people help Kylie Jean. Who do you think helps the most? Explain your answer.
2. What was the hardest thing Kylie Jean had to do in this book?
3. What do you think happens after this story ends?
1. Draw your dream horse. How big is it? What color is it? Does it have any special marks? Write a paragraph describing what you and your horse would do. Don’t forget to give your horse a name!
2. Who is your favorite character in this story? Draw a picture of that person. Then write a list of five things you know about them.
3. Kylie Jean’s grandmother was a Rodeo Queen. Write about your grandmother. (You might need to ask your parents for help.) What was she like when she was your age?
From Momma’s Kitchen
I made these star-shaped cookies with my mom to celebrate my big day. You can make them too! Don’t forget to ask a grown-up for help.
Love, Kylie Jean
RODEO QUEEN SPARKLING STARS
Makes: 16 cookies
YOU NEED:
1 grown-up helper
1 16-ounce tube of refrigerated cookie dough (sugar cookie flavor)
1 star-shaped cookie cutter
Sugar sprinkles in your favorite colors
A cookie sheet
A rolling pin
Ask your helper to preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1. Roll the cookie dough out on a lightly floured surface.
2. Use the cookie cutter to cut out star shapes. Save the extra dough. You can roll it out again to get more stars.
3. Put each star shape on the cookie sheet. Dust with sugar sprinkles.
4. Ask your helper to bake the cookies for 7-11 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges.
Let the cookies cool before eating. Yum-o!
www.capstonekids.com
Kylie Jean is published by Picture Window Books
A Capstone Imprint
1710 Roe Crest Drive
North Mankato, Minnesota 56003
www.capstonepub.com
Copyright © 2011 by Picture Window Books
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Peschke, M. (Marci)
Rodeo queen / by Marci Peschke ; illustrated by Tuesday Mourning.
p. cm. — (Kylie Jean)
ISBN 978-1-4048-5961-6 (library binding)
ISBN 978-1-4048-6618-8 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-4795-6051-6 (ebook)
[1. Contests—Fiction. 2. Rodeos—Fiction. 3. Texas—Fiction.] I. Mourning, Tuesday, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.P441245Ro 2011
[Fic]—dc22 2010030652
Summary: When the rodeo comes to town, Kylie Jean decides she wants to be the Rodeo Queen! But to do that, she must learn rodeo tricks.
Creative Director: Heather Kindseth
Graphic Designer: Emily Harris
Editor: Beth Brezenoff
Production Specialist: Michelle Biedscheid
Design Element Credit:
Shutterstock/blue67design
Kylie Jean Rodeo Queen Page 4