Filled with high-spirited alliteration, this ABC guide lays out the basics of a cowgirl's three Rs: reading brands, roping cattle, and riding cowponies. Cowgirls can be recognized by what they wear, how they work, and their ability to do absolutely anything, as long as it is on the back of a horse. But they have more responsibilities than trick riding and barrel racing. They need to keep their horses happy, their equipment effective, and their dress shirts ironed. Other character traits include an irrepressible zest for life and a passion for cowponies. But cowgirls must also desire to learn everything in apple-pie order from A to Z. Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton raised two cowgirls while busy as an award-winning author. Her bestselling children's book, Why Cowboys Sleep with Their Boots On, won the Premier Print Award from Eastman Kodak.

A piece of art from another picture book, Red, White, and Blue, has been displayed by the Robert L. and Posy Huebner Collection and was highlighted on Martha Stewart's radio station. Her other books from Pelican include Why Cowgirls Are Such Sweet Talkers, Why Cowboys Need a Brand, Why Cowboys Need a Pardner, and Nana's Rice Pie. An international speaker, Knowlton loves kicking back on her ranch, Roots & Wings, in Medina, Ohio. Kathy Coates is a freelance illustrator and painter whose work is displayed in galleries across the Southeast. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and illustrated Batty About Texas, also published by Pelican. Coates lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.