Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo

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Kate DiCamillo is a very prolific and well-loved children’s author, and her stories vary in genre, style, and age-appeal.  Her latest offering is a brand new book in her “Tales from Deckawoo Drive” collection.  Leroy Ninker Saddles Up is about a character familiar to those who already love the Mercy Watson series.  He is a diminuitive cowboy wanna-be who works at the Bijou Drive-In, parceling out popcorn and filling drink cups.  In this story he gets a start on his life-long dream of becoming a real cowboy by acquiring a real horse.  He dreams of a valiant steed he will name Tornado; he gets an elderly nag named Maybelline.  Still, there are gags and gaffes, and yes, even adventure, to be had in this book as Leroy figures out how to be a horse owner when he lives in a tiny apartment in town.  The story very appropriately ends with the two of them on Deckawoo Drive, enjoying a breakfast with none other than that “porcine wonder,” Mercy Watson and her family.

Like the Mercy Watson books, this makes a delightful read-aloud for the younger set.  The chapters are short and the Chris Van Dusen’s illustrations are both entertaining and plentiful. The DLM fell in love with our one copy of Mercy Watson early this month, so when I saw this title on the new books shelf at the library, I knew it had to come home.  We’re on our first re-reading now.  🙂    This book is not overly simplistic; in fact, I would wager a guess that the DLM doesn’t “get” any of the nuance or most of the vocabulary.  Still, he is carried along by the sheer improbability (and thus, hilarity) of the story, and the illustrations.  My only two caveats to offer about this book are these:  it is chock-full of “fake cussing”– first, Leroy almost constantly says things like “gol dangit” and the like; and second, several of the characters use both grammar and vocabulary that are wrong.  This makes for GREAT reading aloud, as the characters are easy to “read,” but if you’re concerned about reading that aloud to your younger children, you might want to give this one a pass. (I’m not of this opinion, by the way.)  Otherwise, definitely check out Leroy Ninker.  We look forward to many more volumes in the Deckawoo Drive collection!  (Candlewick, 2014)

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  1. In my quest to find more boyish picture books, I’ll check this one out. He’s been listening to Mercy Watson on audio so I’ll be he will love this series as well.

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  2. When I was in elementary school I read every book in the library about horses. I dreamed and hoped some day to get one, but in the meantime I lived through the stories and riding on weekends at the rental stable. Maybe if I hadn’t loved horses so much I wouldn’t have become the prolific reader I am today. Who knows. – Margy

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