Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (Hardback) - Common

by Anne Isaacs

Excellent Book

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Fiction, Folklore, Fantasy, Westerns

Hardcover

First published September 1, 2009

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, modern retelling of the part of Homer's Odyssey - where his wife has to trick a bunch of unwanted suitors into a series of impossible tasks in the hopes that she doesn't have to end up with any of them. In this version, an eccentric widow with a lot of money does the same with a band of unruly Texan suitors...

[Becket · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rollicking, visually charming tall tale. Since it's not meant to be realistic in the slightest, I'm not going to complain about the troubling emphasis on marriage in what is otherwise a rather empowering story about smart, determined women. And awesome giant tortoises.

Hawkes' artwork is the real selling point here: it's loaded with verve and saturated colors, and the big skies filled with puffy clouds add a wonderful sense of the wide open frontier. The boldness of the illustrations makes this one great for a group read-aloud (maybe with older kids, since it's a bit long for toddlers), while the hilarious details are perfect for on-on-one exploration (the line-up of suitors is especially funny; the fella with the bottle of Eau de Armadillo is my favorite).

[Stella Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can you not love a picture book with the line, "Those Arroyos are so mean, dynamite would hide from them"? You can't, plain and simple.

In the tradition of Pecos Bill and Paul Bunyan, Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch serves up American Storytelling on a tasty platter with blueberry scones and strawberry shortcake. The widow Jones is a marvelous character full of vim and vigor. It's no surprise when she moves to arid, desolate Texas and coaxes the land into growing humongous fruits and vegetables. It's also no surprise that every man in the land wants to marry her.

Join Widow Jones as she tames the Texas landscape and avoids despicable suitors in this tale from Anne Isaacs, and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this to my five-year old. It was funny and smart. I knew the moment he was introduced who the widow Jones would choose to marry, but I still really enjoyed reading it and seeing the impossible tasks she thought up to get rid of the suitors (and their clever ways of fulfilling them). Even thought there's a little bit of a love story going on, it's not a "girly" book. My son really enjoyed it, too.

[Alexa Marshall]

1) Today, we're going to read a very fun book! (Open book to inside of the cover where there's a notice posted). This notice says "To those who read this tale, notice his hereby given: Under full penalty of law, exaggeration is forbidden in the state of Texas. No Texan may decorate a plain fact--except if that person is an elected official, or anyone who has ever ridden a horse. in such cases, all exaggeration must be restricted to the first twenty-four hours past sunrise." Can someone remind me what the word "exaggeration" means? (response). That's right! To exaggerate means to overstate the truth. An example of this would be if I said that Mr. Doe is as tall as a tree--he's tall, but he is not as tall as an actual tree! Keep your eyes and ears open for different examples of exaggerating that you may see in the illustrations or hear in our book "Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch". by Anne Isaacs.

2)-Tell the meaning of a key word
-Prompt the listeners to notice details

3)-I chose to read the inside cover's notice to introduce the meaning of the word "exaggeration". I chose this and emphasized this word because the whole book is made up of exaggerations, even though the notice said none are allowed. An example of this is when the narrator said that Tulip Jones had a tortoise "who was not much bigger than the period at the end of this sentence".
-I chose to prompt the listeners to notice details of exaggeration in this story because the exaggerations made the story even funnier and more entertaining. Prompting them to listen for specific details also increases how engaged they are when listening to the story.

[Sushie · Rating 3 out of 5]

age: 2nd grade+
length: long
plot: convoluted (in a fun way)

[Beth Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful and funny. Great metaphors and exaggerations.

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great short funny story of a rich widow who inherits a ranch. Well written with great illustrations and a great story line. A great short read.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

[Sara Grochowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH is straight out of Texas, where, under the full penalty of the law, exaggeration is forbidden to every person (unless that person is an elected official or anyone who has ever ridden a horse), so the reader can take sometimes unbelievable tale as fact. It's 1870 When Tulip Jones, a widow from Greater Bore, England, inherits a ranch in By-Golly Gully, Texas. She sets off to set up residence, armed with plenty of tea, twelve pet tortoises (named January, February, March, and so on), and her three capable servants, Linsey, Woolsey, and Calico. Tulip quickly learns everything is bigger in Texas, including vegetables, tortoises, and the lines of bachelors who line up to marry eligible ladies. As a swarm of unmarried men descend upon By-Golly Ranch, Tulip and her ladies struggle to run the ranch and entertain the endless stream of suitors. It takes Tulip no small about of wit and cleverness to rid herself of the gold-digging suitors and, along the way, she just might find true love.

[Amy Seto · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1870 the widow Tulip Jones inherits millions of dollars and a ranch. So she moves from England to By-Golly Gully. She quickly learns that everything is bigger in Texas, including her garden vegetables and her beloved pet tortoises. But her blissful peace is broken when word gets around about her rich and unmarried status. Hilarity ensues as the widow comes up with a variety of ways to get rid of the 1,000 suitors that line up at her door. Exaggeration is the name of the game from text to illustrations. Isaacs excels at writing tall tales and readers will not be disappointed by her newest yarn. Hawkes’ painterly illustrations, rendered with acrylic and pencil on Bristol Board, feature vast blue skies, fluffy white clouds, and sundrenched landscapes that firmly establish the setting. At its best when read aloud, this story will also appeal to elementary school kids who will want to read and explore on their own.

Read More at Picture-Book-a-Day: picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2014/03/...

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book is loosely based on a combination of Texas tall tales and motifs from several folktales. The illustrations are really outstanding, and the story itself would be a lot of fun for kids of kindergarten age or older.
Everything grows bigger in Texas, from vegetables to tortoises. So it was that wealthy young woman Tulip Jones ended up with a strange ranch and too many suitors.
From there the story gets remarkably silly, as she tries to weed out the extra suitors by various tests and challenges. The task is made harder by the fact that two of the suitors are infamous outlaws.

[Lynne Vanderveen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a hoot!!! I absolutely loved this story. One of my coworkers recommended this book to me telling me that it was humorous. It made me giggle out loud! A very wealthy widow moves to a ranch in Texas. When the single men in Texas, and they were all single, found out how rich she was, they came courting. What ensues is fun!

[Mississippi Library Commission · Rating 5 out of 5]

We fell in love with the Widow Tulip Jones and her outrageous friends and adventures. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch is a wonderfully silly picture book for slightly older readers. It's chock full of tall tales that will keep your kiddos laughing until the very end. Job well done Anne Isaacs and Kevin Hawkes!

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a picture book with longer text that can be enjoyed by school age kids who have a sense of humor. This would be a good title for my granddaughter who lives in Texas since that's where this tall tale is set and wonderfully illustrated.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me laugh out loud, very cute and sweet and well illustrated. Seems like it might be a good read for a family learning about the Odyssey/greek mythology or even just literary allusion or influence as the trials of Tulip Jones, millionaire texan widow, seem to mirror those of Penelope.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly and funny and charming! You can see the end coming a mile away, but it is fun to read it play out anyhow.

[Shelbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful, rollicking storybook! Full of adventure, Texas-sized imagination, and even a dash of romance, I plan to remember this one for my kids!

[Cosette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. My daughter fell asleep only halfway thru!

[Jane Ries · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, a review of western-themed children's picture books in general: I must say that I have written my own western-themed children's book. It turned-out to be quite a challenge as the mythology of the west is fraught with bad things like guns, killing, the horrific treatment of Native Americans and animals. What a challenge to take-on when writing a children's picture book! I certainly can't tackle the entirety of this topic in a review of a book, but I want to put it out there as this issue affects my reviews.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch. This book is a very silly book about Widow Jones looking for a husband. It is best read to a child as the story is very detailed. The story draws from the fact that in 1870, every man in Texas was unmarried. Widow Jones has to cope with lots of suiters. She finds a surprising solution and then finds that love was right under her nose the whole time. The storyline is a bit complicated, but the illustrations help to carry the story. I thought that pet turtles in cages and spurs were unnecessary to the story.

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My coworker and I saw this as we were working on redoing our children's literature section, and oh man...we had a good time with this one.  It's such a riotous tall-tale (I mean, look at that cover--she's riding a turtle!) that ends with an incredibly sweet, though expected, resolution.  

As Tulip Jones works her suitors with tricks and dares, Isaacs and Hawkes certainly make a point that if there's an attractive woman (with a lot of money), men will try to do just about anything--and certainly won't take no for an answer.  That leaves Tulip with a lot of mouths to feed and not a lot of time for herself.  That is, until she figures out how to get them to leave.  

Overall, this was just such a fun book with illustrations to match.  Certainly worth a read!

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

And now I want to ride a galloping giant tortoise across the prairie!

An absolutely delightful Tall Tale of a woman who will not back down when faced with any amount of hard work or challenges. Tulip is a wonderful heroine to read about as she tackles the challenge of running a farm where everything is massive, having unwanted suitors, coming up with unique ways to handle them, bringing about Justice - and falling in love! Really loved the message that she didn't need a man, neatly solving her own problems, but she truly wanted to be with Charlie.

[Whole And · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clever spoof-ish tale about a widowed ranch lady being pressured to marry! Quite clever she is, creating contests that should be impossible but prove not to be. And yet, she finds away around each smirk that wants her hand in marriage. Peace is once again restored on the ranch but the lady of the house finds herself suddenly lonely and realized to whom her heart really belongs...

Sweet and strong, a fun read all around.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very funny, highly exaggerated tall tale, set in Texas. The artwork is great too.

I think it is slightly long text-wise so I would recommend it for older preschoolers and elementary students.

When we got to the end of this book, one of my kids pointed to the heroine and said, "she's so smart," in an admiring tone. So, this is a good book for a "smart heroine" themed read, although the book includes quite a bit of "marriage," complete with huge wedding cake, of course.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern-but-old-fashioned tall tale in which strong ladies get the better of greedy would-be suitors. (Some parents may dislike the traditional happy-ever-after ending where everyone -- except the really bad guys-- ends up married off-- but the eventual groom is pretty darn cool, and using a thousand wedding veils to... oh never mind.) There just aren't enough tall tales starring girls, let alone challenging the passive heroine stereotype.

[Bekah Hubstenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts off as a fun silly story but it has some plot holes that made it ultimately unsatisfying. Why did they keep all the brides if they drove off all the suitors? And why was threatening the villains with marriage what scared them off if that’s what they wanted? I don’t think a happily ever after marriage and strong, independent women are mutually exclusive but Charlie the bakers proposal at the end to Widow Tulip as well as her ranch hands running off and getting married spoiled the girls rule theme for me.

Ultimately kids won’t notice that and will probably enjoy the giant racing turtles and seeing the villainous cowboys thwarted. However, I would reach for the Trinka Hakes Noble book of the same name first (its use of the phrase “meanwhile back at the ranch” is stronger as well).

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opening Moves:
"These fruits and vegetables, and animals in this book are all magical somehow. They grow to an enormous size as you can see as I flip through the pages. So all of you will want to see how this happens."
-Engages attention
"What do you notice about the inside cover page and the outside page? The inside page looks like something is going on that is not good. There is horses racing and even a dead skull. The outside page is calm looking and peaceful. What do you think would have happened between these 2 pictures?"
-Draw attention to conclusions from illustrations

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A widow lady inherits 35 million dollars and a ranch in Texas. She moves there with three of her female servants who become ranch hands, so ... 1000 cowboys want to marry her. She hires a baker who provides comfort food - muffins, scones, breads - and meanwhile the lady is trying to figure out how to get rid of the cowboys. Funny story. Great illustrations.

[Myka Ellenwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Fantasy
Grade Level: K-2
I enjoyed this book and how it incorporated immigration into such a fun and exciting book. Kids will love this book because there are larger than life exaggerations and how they do with their conflicts. It made me smile and sometimes laugh. I would recommend this book to any child who enjoys funny books and who likes to laugh.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars
2/4th grade
Traditional fantasy
I thought this book had a lot of action. This would definitely keep the readers engaged. This book would be a great book to read aloud to a classroom as it has a lot going on but is still easy to understand! I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be entertained throughout the entire story.