This book was funny, if a bit long. A cowboy only takes a bath once a year. He smells, is covered in dirt grime, bugs, and fungus. He takes his horse and his dog on a long journey to find the nearest river in which to bath and instructs his dog to let no one near his clothes. Once done with his bath, the dog no longer recognizes the cowboy and will not let him touch the clothes. They argue, the clothes get destroyed and the cowboy walks home naked. If you have not guessed already, this book is BANNED. It is banned because of a naked cowboy. The reader doesn’t see more than a bare chest and legs. “Inappropriate” body parts are always covered by rocks, animals, or other things. But that was not enough for some parents. They compared this book to a child’s Hustler. That description does not fit at all, but it was still enough to have this book pulled from school districts far and wide. ( )

Wonderful illustrations and hilariously told, the Dirty Cowboy is about a cowboy taking a bath. Sounds innocent enough except for the nearly nude drawings of the cowboy getting clean. The illustrator used creative ways, like mud or frogs, to hide the private bits of the cowboy but he's basically stark naked. I enjoyed the plot, especially the twist when the dog doesn't recognize his owner because his smell is different. ( )

This book is a fun story about the life of a cowboy. I thought it was interesting that it has been banned in some places because it implies that a cowboy was taking a bath naked. I am not sure as to whether or not I would carry this book on my class library for that reason.

In my opinion this is a good book it is lighthearted and fun to read. This story is about a cowboy who decides he needs a bath, but after he is clean, his dog doesn't recognize his small anymore. I particularly loved the writing of this book. The cowboy spoke with a very quaint southwestern accent and used many funny expressions that children reading this book would find entertaining. The illustrations were also beautifully done. A lot of browns and tans and other earth tones were primarily used, which reflected the lifestyle of living on a range and being a cowboy is the Southwest. ( )

This book is not my favorite book I have read throughout my years of read children’s books. This book was just a little weird, a bit disgusting, and seems to have no purpose or meaning to it except to be strange. One of the themes that they express in the story is how a simple decision could have ramifications, like when he loses his clothes, gets attacked, and has to travel all day just because he decides to shower. The other thing you can notice if you look past the initial grossness of the book is the level of detail and description. For example “where was the sweaty, wild boar-like smell that clung to the cowboy like a second pair of clothes?” ( )