MY MAMA'S LITTLE RANCH ON THE PAMPAS

In a sequel to On the Pampas (1991), which described a childhood summer on her grandparents' ranch, Brusca relates a year's events on the small ranch her mother purchased to raise cattle, and where the family spent holidays and weekends. A straightforward narrative introducing interesting details of ranch life derives a minimal plot from events concerning the cattle: their purchase at auction, one heifer's escapes through a much-mended fence, and—most dramatically—the caesarian that proves necessary after the little Angus gets together with a big Holstein bull. Endpapers explain the southern hemisphere's seasons and some Argentine terms for foods, dances, etc., with pronunciation; energetic watercolors with angular forms recalling Dirk Zimmer's characters nicely evoke the setting. (Autobiography/Picture book. 4-8)