Buffalo Bill Cody: Showman of the Wild West (Legendary Heroes of the Wild West)

Gr 4-6--The authors have made a concerted effort to give well-rounded and objective portraits of these legendary heroes, drawing on primary sources (such as the subjects' autobiographies) and often separating fact from fiction in a somewhat humorous tone--especially in the case of Davy Crockett, who apparently was something of a comedian himself. Well-captioned, black-and-white reproductions of paintings, photographs, drawings, and maps illustrate the texts, so it's disappointing that the cover art, though colorful, is unrealistic, almost cartoonlike. These easy-reading biographies are good introductions to the subjects' lives, but their length renders them less useful for in-depth reports.Phyllis Graves, Creekwood Middle School, Kingwood, TXCopyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.