Nellie and the Bandit

By Eileen Ross
Illustrator: Erin E. Kono

     In Nellie and the Bandit, Nellie is a feisty little girl who refuses to go home and hide under her bed just because a bandit is on the loose. She's determined to reach her father, even after she encounters the bandit again and again. This is a classic trickster tale where Nellie outsmarts the bumbling bandit over and over. For kids who love cowboys and the language of cowboy tales, this book will be a sure winner. The illustrations add to the humor of the story and Nellie is a sure winner. The publisher recommends the book for preschoolers and up, but I found my five-year-old was frequently derailed by the cowboy talk because she's not a follower of the Wild West - so for the youngest buck-a-roos, it might be a match only if the child loves cowboys. For an older child, the humor and varmint talk meshes perfectly for a truly enjoyable book and for the adult reader (and re-reader) the story is smooth and charming - truly a pleasure.