Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads

August 11, 2014
Shea and Smith, the duo behind Big Plans, deliver a western yarn that’s long on cowboy slang and longer on screwball comedy. Mayor McMuffin of Drywater Gulch cannot abide the “hootin’, hollerin’, and cattle kissin’ ” Toad brothers, who are wreaking havoc in the arid one-horse town. At last, a boy in a 10-gallon hat rides “into town. Slowly. On a tortoise. Give him a minute.” He claims to be qualified as sheriff, due to his expertise on dinosaurs, and he stubbornly attributes the Toad brothers’ robberies and unusual treatment of cattle to velociraptors and tyrannosaurs. Kid Sheriff insists on reserving the jail for the likes of T. rex,
absurd logic prevails, and the menacing Toads get their just deserts. Smith pictures sepia-tinted heroes and villains, and sets the action against an apt backdrop of cracked earth, speckled mesas, and spiky sagebrush. Shea maintains a deadpan drawl that mirrors the straightforward
visuals. If children are more likely to know dinosaurs than B-movie chestnuts like “Gabby the town prospector,” adults can meet them halfway in this punchy read-aloud. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

Starred review from August 1, 2014
A young sheriff comes riding high-atop a tortoise-toward the troubled, "cumin-scented" town of Drywater Gulch. Just give him a minute. How to get the Toads-not the four-legged kind, but three lawless brothers saddled with a silly name and a yen to "steal your gold, kiss your cattle, and insult your chili"-into the hoosegow? Avowed dino-expert Ryan knows just the ploy: blame the big hole blasted into the bank on T. Rex and the stagecoach robbery on Velociraptors. The cattle-kissin'? Why, Triceratops, of course. Annoyed to no end at not getting proper credit for their crimes ("Why I smooched them beefy lips my own self!"), the Toads rudely occupy the clink: "HA! You can blow them dinersores out your nose Sheriff, this here jail is full up of real bonafide criminals!" "Hooray!" cheer the townsfolk. Sheriff Ryan just saddles up his reptilian steed and rides off into the sunset...over the next three days. The hulking Toads cut properly brutish figures in Smith's angular, sand-and-brown Wild West scenes, while their pint-sized nemesis sports the requisite white chaps and a huge white hat. A crowd-pleasin' knee-slapper that'll have 'em rolling in the aisles, yessirree. (Picture book. 5-8)

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Starred review from July 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-The gold stealin' and cattle kissin' Toad Brothers are terrorizing the town of Drywater Gulch again! So when seven-year-old Ryan rides into town on a tortoise and offers to help, the mayor immediately gives him the task of wrangling up the Toads. The new sheriff may not know anything about riding horses or lassoing crooks, but like most boys, he does know an awful lot about dinosaurs. As Ryan investigates the crime scenes, he blatantly blames dinosaurs for the crime in the town and sets out to nab the terrifying lizards. Although Sheriff Ryan is pretty ridiculous in his accusations, children will love the ending, since the little hero gets the last laugh. Shea's humor is spot-on in Sherriff Ryan's unwavering logic and assumptions, and his distinct characters will make this an instant hit at storytime. Smith's illustrations, with grainy color and vivid textures, match the deadpan silliness to a tee, and keen dinosaur hunters will love the few dinosaur mirages hidden in the background. Another stellar job by Shea and Smith.-Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014
Grades K-2 Drywater Gulch is in a big ol' heap of trouble. The Toad brothers are raisin' heck. Why, them fools would rightly steal your gold, kiss your cattle, and insult your chili. Mayor McMuffin is plumb panicked until boy-aged Sheriff Ryan rides into town. On a tortoise. ( Give him a minute, writes Shea, tracking his progress across two spreads.) The sheriff has a suspicion: it ain't Toads doin' the stealin' and kissin' and insultin'it's dinosaurs! See, it's T. rex what done blasted open the jail, not dynamite, and velociraptors who gone ahead and hog-tied them victims, not no bandits. Well, the Toads don't cotton to that! Hoppin' angry that the dineysaurs are gettin' all the credit, they hotfoot their way into the jail. That's when the rootin'-tootin' varmints realize they been had. Dang it! Shea's enjoyably bizarre take on a good old fashioned hoodwinkin' finds a perfect executor in Smith, whose desert-hued illustrations have all the hard corners and sneering lines of a wanted poster. Aw shucks, now Sheriff Ryan is probably blushing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2015
The Toad brothers have run amok through Drywater Gulch. Enter Sheriff Ryan. In a clever bit of reverse psychology, young Ryan snubs the Toad brothers by blaming the town's problems on a band of dinosaur hooligans. Smith's over-the-top goofy townspeople are a perfect partner for Shea's stylistic shenanigans; alongside the silliness Smith shows some serious skills with line work and hue.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2014
The Toad brothers, notorious outlaws, have run amok through Drywater Gulch, leaving the frontier town in chaos. Enter Sheriff Ryan. The young lawman may not know much about shooting a gun or riding a horse (Ryan's steed? It's a tortoise), but when it comes to dinosaurs he's an expert. In a clever bit of reverse psychology, Ryan snubs the Toad brothers by blaming the town's problems on a band of dino-hooligans. Their criminal credentials in question, the Toad brothers lose their heads--"Ain't fair giving the credit to no dineysaurs after the hard work we put in"--and Ryan easily lures them into jail. His work done, Ryan rides off into the sunset--very slowly--on his trusty tortoise. If ever there was a picture book to be narrated by Jack Palance, this is it, what with all the "reckons" and "y'alls" just begging to be read in a cowboy voice. While Smith's over-the-top goofy townspeople are a perfect partner for Shea's stylistic shenanigans, alongside the silliness Smith shows some serious skills with line work and hue. But at the end of the day what matters is that this book is funny, as evidenced in the best page turn of the year: Ryan's slo-o-o-o-o-o-w descent into Drywater Gulch on his tortoise, drawn out over two full spreads ("Give him a minute," requests the narrator). Reckon it'll take less time than that for young'uns to take a shine to this one. sam bloom

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)