Kylie Jean is an 8 year old with a dream. She dreams of becoming a beauty queen. On the journey to this dream she decides that she wants to become a Rodeo Queen first. With a beautiful pony named Star and a family full of supporters Kylie Jean sets out to make this dream come true. Okay first let me say this: Kylie Jean is adorable! I have two boy toddlers but if I ever wanted a girl I would want one like Kylie Jean. She is sweet and kind and loves everything that is pink. She is also determined. When she decides she wants to be Rodeo Queen, she doesn't let anything stand in her way. Not even a little hard work, as she and her pony learn how to barrel race. Together with her family, Kylie Jean tells an adorable story in RODEO QUEEN. RODEO QUEEN is the perfect beginner chapter book for 5-8 year olds. The illustrations are just gorgeous and practically leap off the page. This is the first book in a new series about Kylie Jean by Marci Peschke and I highly recommend it to any would-be cowgirls aged 5 to 8.
Have you seen the Picture Window Books series featuring Kylie Jean? We currently own Kylie Jean Drama Queen, Kylie Jean Rodeo Queen, Kylie Jean Blueberry Queen, and Kylie Jean Hoop Queen. They aren’t processed and checked out through our circulation system yet because I cannot pry them out of the hands of these sixth grade girls long enough to slap a barcode on the books. This is a re-creation of a typical conversation. Fortunately some of the boys were playing with my flip camera and recorded part of it, but NO, I’m NOT going to show the video since it was totally a bad hair day and I have deleted the video. Girl 1: Here, Ms Chen! Here’s that book Kylie Jean Blueberry Queen I borrowed from you to review. I’m sorry I kept it so long, but my sister wanted to read it too, and then my friend in science class saw it and she needed to read it last weekend. Could you hold it here because Eliana is grabbing her overdue book so she can read it, too, and I told her she’d better hurry because Mariam said she was going to get it first, but Mariam already read Kylie Jean Drama Queen so she should have to wait. Ms Chen: Wait a minute! I lent you the book so you’d write a review for me and I could share it with blog readers. I still need to hold on to it so I can catalog it after tutoring today and read it myself so I can write about it. Girl 1: Well, I know you need a review so how about you just tell your readers that girls in fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, and seventh grade will love to read this, but that the eighth graders might want some more romance stuff instead. Umm, and tell them that I really like the cover of the book because it’s pretty and Kylie Jean could be any of us girls with brown hair, and that everyone wants to read it, and that it’s funny, and that it’s quick to read, oh, and tell them that we convinced the computer teacher to let us go to the website during class and we found an event kit there and our reading teacher Ms H says if you want, she will help us have a Kylie Jean party and she has a beauty queen tiara, oh, yes, and tell your readers that my Nana let me make the recipe in the back and it even tasted good, and oh, yeah, I think every library should have every one of these books, and I really need the Kylie Jean Rodeo Queen next and I saw that Lillian had it and she said I could read it (if you say it’s okay) and she put me on her list cause she knows you want lots of people’s opinions about it so she’s got a list and people are borrowing it from her and she knows you won’t mind. Maybe I can have Tiajah come tell you about the one she’s reading – the Hoop Queen one – cause she said she liked it and she won’t let anyone else read it til she reads it a second time. Ms Chen: Okay, I think I can almost remember what you told me but you should really try to breathe more when you are talking. Maybe I should just give you the stickers to put on the books and somebody can drop by to let me know where they are. You know I like to track how many people are reading these new books I review so I can have accurate numbers. Girl 1: Ms Chen, you are so silly. You just need to add up all the girls in Ms H and Ms M and Mr W’s class cause we all read this one and then you can just pretend it was checked out and then you’ll know its popular for your numbers. Girl 2: Hey, Ms Chen, she better be giving you that book back because I got here first and I need to read it. She only let me read it to chapter four on the bus. Is that author Marci Peschke going to write some more books about Kylie Jean because I have some ideas to share with her and maybe then she can share some profit with me, too? My mom said I should just write my own book but I told her all about plagiarism and that I would have to invent my own person or go to jail and my mom said I should ask you how to write to the author to ask her. Do you think Wednesday Morning would make the pictures for me? Ms Chen: The illustrator is called Tuesday Mourning
Practically Paradise Blog
But I'm pretty on the outside and on the inside. - Kylie Jean Carter Boys and girls dream of what they want to do or be when they grow up. For Kylie Jean Carter there is only one thing - to be a beauty queen. Kylie Jean is an eponymously named new chapter book series written by Marci Peschke with illustrations by Tuesday Mourning. It is about a spunky and charming little Texan girl, her family, friends and the other people in her life including Ugly Brother, the faithful pet bulldog. Rodeo Queen * It is spring time and all's right with the world. the rodeo is coming to the small town of Jacksonville, Texas and Kylie Jean wants to be Rodeo Queen. If she expects to get the title, she must learn some rodeo lessons like barrel-racing. Blueberry Queen * Summer arrives and the blueberries are ripe for picking. Everyone is looking forward to the Blueberry Festival especially Kylie Jean because every year one girl is chosen Blueberry Queen and she would just love to have that tiara on her head. Drama Queen * Summer comes to an end and Kylie Jean heads back to school. She is now in second grade. her whole class gets ready for a production of Alice in Wonderland and she hopes to play the Queen of Hearts but the new girl Paula Dupree might just steal it from her. Hoop Queen * During fall, Kylie Jean catches basketball fever. She has to gather pledges and make lots of baskets at the Free Throw Tournament in order to be the year's Hoop Queen. But first she must learn how to play the game. I surprised myself when I realized that I could still enjoy books aimed at readers aged 6 to 9. Perhaps because it was also around that time that I began my love affair with the written word. I loved reading the series and the books do not have to be read in any particular order. Each can stand alone. I would definitely recommend them for their universal appeal. Family-oriented values, obedience, friendship, resourcefulness, cooperation, generosity, humor and insight are just some of the themes found in the books. there are also recipes and fun stuff to do at the end of each one. Together, parents and their children will certainly have a lot to look forward to when the series debuts in January 2011. My personal rating is: 4 shamrocks – great http://aobibliosphere.blogspot.com/2010/12/review-kylie-jean-series.html
Kylie Jean is a series of chapter books for girls. If your child loves reading Judy Moody or Ramona Quimby then these books will keep your child’s attention. Kylie Jean loves taking part in any competition going on in her school or in the community. The books also shows how close Kylie Jean is with her family especially her Ugly Brother the dog…and don’t go telling him he’s a dog…lol! I love that Marci Peschke tackled bullying in the Drama Queen book and showing Kylie Jean’s kind and thoughtful side. Kylie Jean makes kids believe that no matter the task if you keep practicing you will be better at it. If you are looking for a good chapter book to start your child reading then I recommend Kylie Jean series. Check out the study guide and cooking recipes at the end of the book. http://mymcbooks.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/book-review-giveaway-kylie-jean-ends-25-july/
Braid or ponytail?” I asked as I combed her freshly-washed hair. “Ponytail. Two ponytails,” she replied, holding up two pink hair elastics. As I finished her hair and handed her the comb to put away she turned to me with a big smile. “Now I look like Kylie Jean, don’t I?” She asked. * * * This winter has been marked with snow day after snow day, meaning my already-meager free time has gotten more meager. My reading time is all but gone, and I’ve been spending more time with my kids’ books than with my own. We started on Kylie Jean: Rodeo Queen last week & have been reading about a chapter a day. She’ll pick up the book and bring it to me. “It’s time for Kylie Jean, mom,” she’ll say. This, from my daughter who had been struggling to get the words to make sense. She’s gotten through the reading hump and it’s starting to click. I’ll have her start out our reading by tackling the first paragraph or so before I take over. She has a love of all things pink and horses, and she’s recently expressed a desire to go to the rodeo, so this book came into her life at a perfect time. Kylie Jean has a great attitude and a spirit of adventure that I also see in my daughter, and want to encourage her to continue. I’m enjoying the time we spend reading together and watching how invested she’s getting in this chapter book. Kylie Jean has a quirky life that is keeping both of us interested in reading more of her adventures. What better way to spend time with your kids then to bond over books that you love and characters that you admire? Look for Kylie Jean books (such as Blueberry Queen, Drama Queen and Hoop Queen which were all released with Rodeo Queen in early January) at a bookstore near you. http://www.bookendbabes.com/2011/02/10/kylie-jean-rodeo-queen/
From blueberries to beauty pageants, third grader Kylie Jean wants to be the queen of everything! But in her quest to be the best, this young southern belle learns a few lessons of her own. Mischievous, delightful and fun, this series will be at the top of every young girl’s list. Rodeo Queen When the rodeo comes to town, Kylie Jean decides she wants to be the Rodeo Queen! But to do that, she must learn rodeo tricks. This Blonde’s Review: I had reviewed a Kylie Jean story before when I reviewed Hoop Queen. I decided to review the rest of the series in the same post since I had similar things to say about all of them. These are all wonderful stories. Definitely longer than you’d assume looking at the cover and the description. These are better for young girls who have learned how to read but still need a simple story to read. My daughter is too young to read yet, but she enjoyed these stories enough to want me to read them straight though and to read multiple times. Each story shows how being kind and thoughtful will get a girl further than being pushy. Kylie Jean is a great example to girls who are struggling with whether to be kind or go with the crowd. They’re great stories for even smaller girls too if you’re willing to read them. They can be a little long for bedtime reading, but they’re still great even for a 4 year old.
Kylie’s Grandma is the Rodeo Queen, the champion, of barrel racing and Kylie wants to be Rodeo Queen, too. The problems are that she doesn’t have a horse or know how to race. But her Grandfather gives her a horse, Star because of the mark on its head, and her Granny decides to teach her to barrel race. She teaches Kylie how to ride Star around the barrels in a circle. A very interesting part of the story is the day before the race Kylie is practicing with her horse when she fell off her horse. Kylie becomes worried that Star would buck her again in the big race. In the end Kylie does win the race in 12 seconds and becomes the Rodeo Queen! The moral of the story is that even if you are really bad at something at first if you keep practicing at it every day you can get really good. There are no bad words or bad attitudes in the book. It is for kids like me – kids 8 and up. The words weren’t hard, it was easy for me. I think that most of my friends would really like this book. On a scale of one to 10, this book is a 10! It was amazing! I liked it because it tells you that you can be whoever you want to be and do anything you want to… but in a great way. http://bookgateway.com/2011/04/rodeo-queen/
My name is Kylie Jean Carter. Here are some things you need to know about me: I live in Texas. My color is pink. I have two brothers, but one of them is a dog. And my number-one dream is to be a beauty queen! The rodeo is coming to town! I want to be Rodeo Queen just like Nanny was when she was a girl. But if I want to be Rodeo Queen, I have to be in the rodeo. Rope tricks, bull-riding, barrel-racing...I'll try everything to win that crown! It would look just perfect on top of my pink cowboy hat--just you wait and see! My Take: I cannot tell you just how much I loved this little book! Well actually, maybe this can give you a clue: I am very cheap/broke (aren't we all right now?) and after reading the digital copy from NetGalley I am going to head straight out to the book store today to get the print edition of this book and the rest of the series (reviews to come later) to give to my little nieces for birthdays and Christmas. I'll probably get a set for my daughter too, even though she is too young for the series :) The writing is completely engaging, Kylie Jean's Texas twang practically jumps out of the pages and is adorable. The character of Kylie Jean is definitely a kid you want your kids reading about. She is a pretty little girl who listens to her mom's advice of "pretty is as pretty does." She works hard to achieve her goals, and is happy and positive. While her perfection might be a bit grating to a cynical adult, a child will love her. Aside from the great story, there are fantastic illustrations and great features at the end of the book. There are discussion starters to get you and your daughter talking, there are creative project prompts, a rodeo term glossary and recipes. Kylie Jean is 8 years old, which seems to be about the right age of the audience. It is a good introduction to chapter books and a good challenge for young readers. Now I will say that Kylie Jean is a big girly girl, and little girls that tend to lean away from princess and pink will likely still enjoy this book, because it has horses and such, but perhaps not as much others who really embrace that which is ultra girly. 1, Pay Full Price http://thebookbuff.blogspot.com/2011/03/kylie-jean-rodeo-queen.html
Kylie Jean decides she wants to enter a rodeo and win the title of "Rodeo Queen." From previous books (reviewed on this blog) we know that Kylie Jean is a determined young girl with a lot of family support. In this book one of her grandmothers helps her learn to ride a pony. Fans of the series will like it and first time readers will fall in love with Kylie Jean. Each book starts off the same so it doesn't matter which one you read first. Recommended for young girls who enjoy horse stories and those ready to move on from easy readers. Read as an ebook arc courtesy of Capstone via Netgalley. http://goldenlibrarylady.blogspot.com/2011/04/rodeo-queen-kylie-jean.html
Mrs. Katz Book Blurbs blog
A delightful new series of chapter books features Kylie Jean Carter from Jacksonville, Texas, who very much wants to be a beauty queen. The first four books by Texas author Marci Peschke were released in January by Picture Window Books. They are "Kylie Jean Rodeo Queen," "Kylie Jean Blueberry Queen," "Kylie Jean Drama Queen," and "Kylie Jean Hoop Queen." The books, available in paperback for $4.95 each, are wonderfully illustrated by artist Tuesday Mourning. The stories are aimed at girls ages 6 to 9. Kylie Jean is 8 years old, loves pink, has a brother named T.J. and a bulldog named Ugly Brother. She practices her beauty queen wave all the time "because everybody knows beauty queens need to have a perfect wave. It's side to side, nice and slow, with a dazzling smile," she explains. The stories are upbeat and emphasize strong family values, with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins pitching in to make Kylie Jean a special little girl. Her mother has taught her that it is important to be pretty on the inside as well as on the outside, and Kylie Jean is — well, most of the time. The character is based on the author's niece, who is in fact named Kylie Jean. The author, an elementary school librarian, has more Kylie Jean books in the works, including "Kylie Jean Spelling Bee Queen" and "Kylie Jean Football Queen." Four more Kylie Jean books are scheduled to be published in January. Read more on the author's website, marcipeschke.com. http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2011/apr/07/kylie-jean-plans-to-bequeen-of-everything/
San Angelo Standard Times
I absolutely adore these Kylie Jean books! I love her personality. I love that she never gets it right the first time. I love that she keeps a positive attitude and speaks respectfully. I love that she tries and tries! In this book Kylie Jean has to learn how to do an event in a rodeo in order to be entered in the rodeo queen contest. She involves all of her family and friends in helping her to achieve her goals. Yet, she really never asks or expects help. She just tries to do it herself and they offer because of her hard work and perseverance. http://blog.hottbooks.com/2011/05/rodeo-queen-kylie-jean-by-m-peschke.html
Kylie Jean is back, and as determined as ever to be a beauty queen. This time she has her sights set on the rodeo - she knows she can become the rodeo queen. After a number of false starts, she settles on barrel racing, and with the support of her family prepares for the big day in true Kylie Jean fashion. Kylie Jean, Rodeo Queen fits nicely in with the other Kylie Jean books, and it has great activities to do at the end of the book, appealing to both fiction and non-fiction reading skills. http://crowdingthebooktruck.blogspot.com/2011/05/rodeo-queen-by-marci-peschke.html
Crowding the Book Truck Blog
One of the things I admire most about Kylie Jean is the way she goes to her friends and family for help. Together, she and her cousin and friends figure out how to cope with the mean new girl without stooping to mean-girl tactics, in Kylie Jean: Drama Queen by Marci Peschke, illus. by Tuesday Mourning. In Kylie Jean: Blueberry Queen, she asks her cousin (a different, older cousin) to help her register for the Blueberry Queen contest, then calls upon her grandparents for assistance—her photographer grandfather for a picture, and her other grandparents for sponsorship. Kylie Jean also asks a neighbor she admires to write a recommendation for her. The heroine models a strategy that can be very helpful to children of this age, who are making fledgling attempts toward independence. She asks for help from people she trusts. Clara Lee also does this in Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream when she seeks out her grandfather as her trusted advisor. That awkward transition to doing things on their own is easier for both Kylie Jean and Clara Lee because of the roles their families play in helping them achieve their goals. Kylie Jean makes a list of tasks to complete in Blueberry Queen, and enlists her family or friends with specific skills to help with each. In the case of Clara Lee, it’s self-confidence she needs—to believe she, too, deserves to represent her town, not because her family helped to found the town (like her rival’s family did), but because she sees herself as an integral part of its community. And then she must summon the courage to give a speech. But once she overcomes the first crisis of confidence, the second feels easy. It’s sometimes hard to find strong books for this age group because so few drill down to these essential issues of blossoming independence. But Kylie Jean, Clara Lee, Dessert Schneider from Dessert First, Clementine, and Ivy and Bean can be strong guides through rough waters. http://twentybyjenny.blogspot.com/2011/03/teamwork.html
My rating: 4 of 5 stars Seriously. How cute is this? I am not one to go for the sparkly pink titles (though I know my students TOTALLY do!) and I still enjoyed this beginning chapter book. Kylie Jean dreams of becoming a beauty queen. In this particular title she decides one way she will accomplish this goal is by participating in the rodeo. As a fellow Texan of course this automatically caught my attention. I can't help it. I loved the line when she visits the library to get a book on rodeo rope tricks. The librarian smiles but then shushes her ... and Kylie Jean tells us "Although it is true that I am known for being loud, on occasion"(29). The story is fun. The characters are interesting (the dog is named Ugly Brother--that is just priceless!). The illustrations are winsome and quirky. There are great examples of description in terms of the writing. I think this is a winner. There are some enjoyable (if a bit formulaic) extra discussion questions and activities at the end of the book, as well as a digital press and event kit. I was delightfully surprised to find 1)the author is a school librarian, and 2)the illustrator graduated from my alma mater. I guess the only other thing I might say is that KJ learns to barrel race well enough to WIN in a very short amount of time. I am not sure that could really be done (if something is worth doing it takes some patience and effort!) and wonder if it might give some readers unrealistic expectations for themselves. That said ... I know I'll still be getting copies for our library. http://www.msoreadsbooks.com/2011/01/kylie-jean-rodeo-queen.html
Eight year old Kylie Jean wants nothing more than to be a beauty queen! She practices her beauty queen wave all the time so she can be ready when the big day comes. When the rodeo comes to town, Kylie Jean is struck by the rodeo queen riding in the parade. She makes up her mind that if she cannot be a beauty queen, then perhaps she can be a rodeo queen. Kylie enlists the help of all of her family members—from her uncle to her grandmother—to try to find a rodeo event she can learn in two weeks. When her dad buys a new horse and says it can be hers, she turns to her grandmother (who was once a rodeo queen herself) to teach Kylie how to barrel race. What follows is a whirlwind of bonding with her new horse, Star, and training for the rodeo, culminating in the big event itself. Kylie Jean is a wonderfully spirited character, who brings a taste for the Texas lifestyle to this transitional chapter book. Her family is loveable, and her relationship with her dog, Ugly Brother, is endearing. Kylie’s love for the color pink is emphasized in the cartoon drawings that are dispersed throughout the story, where it is the only color present other than black. While this is cute, her affinity for all things pink is mentioned excessively throughout the story. It is also hard to believe that an eight-year-old could learn barrel racing in just two weeks. Even though Kylie becomes interested in winning the barrel race competition, the end of the book finds her back at her old self, hoping to be a beauty queen, and the character growth that happened during the story is lost. Best suited for grades 3-5.
What made me smile: The instant I saw the cover I got a smile on my face. She is an adorable eight year old. The book was written simply enough for a new chapter reader to read but had a few challenge words that makes an older reader keep interest. Kylie Jean kept the suspense through the whole book as she stumbled from one problem to the next. Not only did she learn to deal with let downs and the bright side, the book teaches kids good etiquette. Ms. Peschke is a children's librarian and I thought the whole book was made just for a little girl to pick up and love. She has really put a lot of thought about keeping a child's interest while reading into this book. The illustrations by Tuesday Mourning were fabulous. They really captured the storyline well. I also loved the fact that there was a glossary at the end of the book for words that everyone might not know. It also features a book talk page to talk about the book with parents after the child is done. Best of all? The recipe included! What didn't work for me: The only thing negative was ......Nothing! I loved this book. Well other than the fact that I can't buy them for my daughter until after Christmas. In Summary: If you have a young girl who is learning to read, pick up this book. If your young reader liked "Fancy Nancy" or "Pinkalicous" she's sure to love Kylie Jean who loves everything pink! I can't wait to pick up this or any of the other Kylie books that are due out in January. Author Information: I couldn't find out much about the author other than she is a elementary librarian and loves to write. If anyone knows of a website, please let me know. This book gets an impressive 7 family thumbs up out of 7 The reviews expressed in this review are entirely my own. This book was shared with me by Capstone through NetGalley and I received no compensation for this review. http://familyreads.blogspot.com/2010/11/kylie-jean-rodeo-queen.html
Kylie Jean by Marci Peschke is the newest series we have added to the Youth Early Chapter Books. You are introduced to Kylie Jean in the first book called Rodeo Queen. Kylie Jean has always wanted to be a real beauty queen; she even knows how to perform the proper wave. Kylie Jean wants to follow in her Nanny’s footsteps by being the Rodeo Queen. The catch is that if you want to be the Rodeo Queen you have to be in the Rodeo. Kylie Jean needs to learn how to do rope tricks, bull riding and barrel racing in order to be queen. She thinks that the crown would look perfect with her pink (Kylie Jean’s most favorite color) cowboy hat! Other books include Kylie Jean Blueberry Queen: It is time for the Blueberry Festival and everyone is busy getting ready. Kylie Jean decides that she is going to enter the Blueberry Queen pageant. She enlists the help of some very special people to make sure she completes everything needed for the pageant. Two other Kylie Jean titles have been released: Kylie Jean Drama Queen and Kylie Jean Hoop Queen. This is a sweet series about a spunky 8 year old who is determined to make her dreams happen. http://andromeda.plymouthlibrary.org/blog/libchoice/2011/03/kylie_jean.html
One of several titles in the pink-tinted series of Kylie Jean, this book invites readers into the heroine’s quirky world to discover how to become a rodeo queen.
Metro Family Magazine (Oklahoma)
