Southwest Children's  Literature

Sun Logo


Buster Mesquite's Cowboy Band

Book Review:

Buster the burro has lost his job finding wood for the "Woodcutter" and decides to turn this opportunity into the job he's always wanted: being in a band! He takes his only possession, a guitar, and sets off on a journey through the Southwest desert in search of bandmates. He comes across Moondawgie the coyote guitar player, Kitty the wildcat fiddler, and Hank the crow singer. Together they form a band and practice their hearts out because they feel that is the only way to be great.


Through their travels, they come across an old house and inside they find what they think is the perfect audience, but turns out to be thieves! Buster and his band of cowboys decide to sing to them, which drives even the scariest of thieves away. As a result, the band decides to open up Honky Tonk Hank's Hideout in the old house. Everybody comes to see them, and the band realizes you don't have to be the best to be great.


This book has great characters, humor, and heart. Presenting children with the idea to do what you love and by following this mantra you can accomplish great things is a wonderful lesson. Hillerman includes jokes even children will appreciate by describing the thieves as bad for not brushing their teeth or eating their green veggies. Hillerman also demonstrates that they are reformed thieves in the end, as two of the thieves get jobs and the other starts to eat his veggies.


Ernest Franklin's illustrations are very imaginative and really capture the essence of the Southwest. The light and shadows of the mesas and cacti are unique and encapsulate all of the wonderful colors of the desert environment. All of the characters are drawn in a wacky way and many scenes offer animated-like qualities. Recommended for children aged 4-7, this book offers the value of friendship and fun.

to mainpage

About the Book | Book Review | Children's Voices | About the Reviewer