HOLT AND THE COWBOYS by Jim McCafferty - Children's Book - Holt Collier - 1993
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-Holt Collier was born a slave in Mississippi, grew up hunting and riding, fought with the Texas Brigade, worked on a ranch, and gained the respect of almost everyone along the way. In the principal incident in this book, Collier meets some cowboys who don't believe he can ride or that he was a Confederate scout. In true "Zebra Dun" fashion, he rides a mare no one else can break. Somehow, though, the adventures don't match the character portrayed in this biographical account. The narrative tone isn't so much simple as simplistic: the thoughts and some of the dialogue attributed to Collier are much too naive for a fellow who shows up some rednecks by riding a wild mare. Issues of race are sidestepped. The reason he became a Civil War scout are hinted at here-a kind of loyalty to his master-doesn't ring true. It's impossible to tell how much of this story is fictionalized and how much is fact. There are neither historical notes nor sources given. A book that doesn't do justice to the man.
Sally Bates Goodroe, Houston Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.