Books with author Will James

A scorpion grabs you with its claws, but its poison comes from where you'd least expect it--the tip of its tail. A fine-looking chestnut bronc receives the name Scorpion when he explodes unexpectedly after several days of unusually good behavior. "That horse," a bronco-busting cowboy says, "is going to be either mighty good or mighty bad."One day Tim, an outlaw on the run, trades his tired horse for Scorpion, and the two forge a relationship of destiny. Though never a well-broke horse, Scorpion acts truly wicked only when Tim makes poor decisions--thus keeping Tim out of trouble. With a little unsolicited help from Scorpion, Tim finds romance and a reason to clear his name.First published in 1936, Scorpion, A Good Bad Horse is the fifteenth title in the Tumbleweed Series of Will James reprints. James illustrated this tale with 45 pen-and-ink drawings.

Dear Folks, Here's a long story for you with no names to speak of--so, you won't be bothered by the names of the creeks and cow camps you might never heard of--and of riders you wouldn't know--but if you have been in the cow country and are acquainted with the lay of it--you'll have a lot of fun recognizing the spots where I drifted thru. If you don't know the cow country I think you'll like to come out and get lost in it for a spell. You'll know it by the time you ride with me through these pages--the whole West from the far north to the south. There's more than plain riding and covering territory in this story... ...Here's a gentle horse for you. Climb on and follow me. Will James

i>"His drawings are as authentic, as colorful and as racy as his prose. A grand book." --The SportsmanEach of All in the Day's Riding's twelve chapters highlights a riding theme, from rodeos to round-ups. You'll read stories about drifting with the herd in a blizzard, Dusty's quest for the perfect horse, and the partnerships that form between cowboys and horses. More than 100 illustrations enhance the text with horses bucking, crowhopping, cutting, and stampeding.

Smoky, the Cowhorse is the story of a horse--from his first hours on the prairie sod to his final years out to pasture. Smoky grows up wild and wise to the ways to the range, fighting wolves and braving stiff winds. Clint, a bronco-busting cowboy on the Rocking R Ranch, spots the spirited four-year-old and thinks it is the finest little horse he ever saw. After many adventurous years on the Rocking R, Smoky mysteriously disappears, only to turn up later as an outlaw bucking horse on the rodeo circuit. The reader follows the story--from range to ranch to rodeo--through Smoky's eyes. We feel his terror of man, his struggle against the rope, his growing love for turning cows, and his anger when mistreated. First published in 1926, Smoky, the Cowhorse is for anyone who loves horses the way Will James did. As James writes in the preface, "Smoky is just a horse, but all horse, and that I think is enough said."

The 1927 Newbery Award, Smoky, the Cow Horse, is narrated in the cowboy vernacular of the 1920’s. It details the life of a horse in the western United States from his birth to his eventual decline. Smoky is born in the wild, captured and trained and becomes known as the best cowhorse around. However, Smoky is stolen by a horse thief, beaten repeatedly as punishment, and eventually attacks and kills the thief.When Smoky is eventually captured, his violent and aggressive demeanor prompts his use as a bucking bronco at a rodeo under the moniker of “The Cougar”. Years of performing take their toll on his body and spirit. He is renamed “Cloudy” and used as a riding horse and sold to an abusive man who starves him. During this time, he is reunited with his original owner and taken home. With careful treatment, Smoky recovers his former health and personality.Illustrated by the author and adapted to the screen three times as Smoky. Will James narrates the 1933 version.