Vernon's Gerald "Jake"; Conkin, a lifetime member of the Alberta Cowboy Poets Association, worked for both the Waldron Ranch in Alberta and The Douglas Lake Cattle Company. His "passion for the cowboy culture"; triggered The Buckaroo Jake & Calico Carol Show - storytelling performances for kids - and the Little Jake series of western adventures. Little Jake, who left Vancouver for the Nicola Valley's Double C Ranch, first appeared in Little Jake's Cowdog. Now he's back in Little Jake & the Intruder (Buckaroo Jake Productions $12.95), determined to become a real buckaroo. First there's the challenge of training a coyote to be a "cowyote,"; and then there's the grizzly bear... Cartoon-style illustrations are by Ben Crane, who worked on ranches and farms in his early years and blames his family for a humorous twist that has become "permanently bent."; 0-9684444-1-5

--by Louise Donnelly

[BCBW 2005]