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Big-Enough

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A delightful tale for adults and children alike, BIG- ENOUGH is the story of a cowboy and a cow horse, born on the same day, who together grow "big-enough for most anything." Young Billy was a born cowboy - unfortunately, his parents have other aspirations for him and send him off to be "educated and turned into something else." But one day Billy takes his horse, Big- Enough, and departs to pursue his true destiny, finding adventure, adversity, and, ultimately, manhood. BIG- ENOUGH is a coming-of-age-in-the-West novel of the highest quality, capturing the spirit of a young cowboy, his best horse, and the American West itself. "It combines the lives of a boy and a horse as inseparably and convincingly as it presents the American West and an absorbing story." (The Nation)

281 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1993

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60 people want to read

About the author

Will James

111 books39 followers
Will James, artist and writer of the American West, was born Joseph Ernest Nephtali Dufault. It was during his creative years everyone grew to know him as Will James. During the next several years, he drifted, worked at several jobs, was briefly jailed for cattle rustling, served in the army, and began selling his sketches and in 1922 sold his first writing, Bucking Horse Riders. The sale of several books followed.

An artist and author of books about the American west and, in particular, horses, Will James wrote the 1926 book "Smoky the Cowhorse". It was awarded the John Newbery Medal in 1927, and remains in print to this day. Several movie adaptations of the story have been created, including a 1933 version that included Will James himself as the narrator.

His fictionalized autobiography, Lone Cowboy, was written in 1930. He also wrote Home Ranch (1935) and he wrote his last book, The American Cowboy, in 1942. In all, he wrote and illustrated 23 books.

In 1991, Will James was named a member of the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame.

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5 stars
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15 (34%)
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6 (13%)
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Sage Keegan.
7 reviews
December 15, 2016
Incredible book for anyone interested in the old west or cowboys. Really shows the incredible lifelong bond between a man and horse. It gives a good look into all the different aspects of cowboy life and different styles of cowboying. By far one of the greatest books I've ever read.
2,580 reviews4 followers
February 18, 2021
C. fiction, western, horse story, colloquial language used to narrate, from, stash, keep to discard
67 reviews1 follower
March 8, 2011
Not of the Little Britches caliber, but was enjoyed by my children.
Profile Image for Rose Blum .
286 reviews22 followers
September 1, 2014
Cute cowboy story ~ great art!!!!! Every western fan should read the books by Will James :)
245 reviews1 follower
February 19, 2009
One of my all-time favorites. It's such a wonderful story told in "cowboy prose."
Profile Image for Luke Keegan.
14 reviews1 follower
April 4, 2017
Even thought his book is fiction, it really provides a lot of information of how stuff really was in the 1800s, because the author lived it. It provides a lot of realistic imagery. One of the best books I've read in a long time.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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