CW & M Gauss
Bang of the Diamond Tail
Albert Whitman & Co, Chicago, 1935, illus C W Gauss, 32 pp.
“Bang is a pony who lives on the Diamond Tail Ranch in Colorado. When he is still
very young, he runs away to
become a wild horse. Bang finds that the life of a wild
horse is a very hard one, and he is very unhappy. But
fortunately Bang has been branded,
and he is finally found by his owner.”
Marianne Gauss (1885-
Finding the books: can sometimes by tricky, but are generally reasonably priced when they do turn up. The books were not printed in the UK.
Sources and links:
Terri A. Wear: Horse Stories, an Annotated Bibilography, Scarecrow Press, 1987
Thanks to Lisa Catz for the photographs and information.
Bibliography -
Firecracker
Albert Whitman & Co, Chicago, 1937, 32 pp.
“Firecracker is a wild horse who lived on the prairie. He is captured and taken to
the rodeo where he throws
everyone but a very young cowboy named Ted. Firecracker
is given to Ted, and goes home to the cattle ranch
Ted lives on. Ted is very kind
to him, and eventually Firecracker is quiet to ride. He and Ted become great friends,
but
then Ted’s family has to move to the city, and Firecracker is sold as a riding stable
horse. When he keeps
bucking people off, he is downgraded to a pack horse, and is
very unhappy, until one day he is loose, and runs
back to his old home.”
Kickapoo the Fighting Bronc
Albert Whitman & Co, Chicago, 1945, 32 pp.
Smasher and Kickup
Albert Whitman & Co, Chicago, 1939, 32pp.
Smasher and Kickup are two rogue colts out with the ranch herd. Most have given up
on Kickup, but young
cowboy Mike wants to give Smasher a chance. The horse is too
unpredictable, and the ranch forman doesn’t
want to keep him. The horses both escape
and join a rogue band of horses. Smasher eventually ends up
being sold to a circus
for food. Mike finds out, and tries to get hold of the horse, but there is competition
from the
gang of rogue horses and Kickup.
