Big Fat

by Loyd Tireman

Illustrated by Ralph Douglass

Contributions by Evelyn Yrisarri

Mesaland Series

Published by: University of New Mexico Press

48 Pages, 6.00 x 8.00 in, 48 color illustrations

Hardcover
9780826356055 | December 2015

$12.95

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Description
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Acclaim

The fifth book of the Mesaland Series tells the story of lovable, lumbering prairie dog Big Fat. The largest prairie dog on the mesa, he loves to eat tender green stems and delicious prickly pears. His mischievous neighbor Little Ugly teases Big Fat when he plumps down for a rest on cactus spines and pops up howling. But when Big Fat shows off a beautiful litter of puppies, Little Ugly joins Big Fat as he watches carefully for the dangerous coyote Three-Toes.

First published between 1943 and 1949 and now available again, the seven books in the Mesaland Series introduce a new generation of readers to the animals and plants of the great Southwest.

Born in Orchard, Iowa, Loyd Tireman (1896-1959) was a pioneer in bilingual and community education. In 1927 Tireman began his thirty-two-year career at the University of New Mexico as a professor of elementary education. In 1947 Tireman established a curriculum materials center, which grew into a library located at the University of New Mexico College of Education.

Ralph Douglass (1895-1971) was a professor in the Department of Art at the University of New Mexico.

Evelyn Yrisarri was a member of the National Storyteller's League of Washington, DC, and specialized in storytelling for young children.

"All of the characters exude their own charm, their own cuteness, even their own cunning. . . . Those qualities will entice young readers to follow the characters in their encounters with wildlife and humans."
--Albuquerque Journal

"Like all classic children's literature, the Mesaland Series retains its timeless appeal."
--New Mexico Magazine

"With its eye-catching artwork, stories focused on Southwestern animals and mid-century charm, these tales of woodpeckers, jackrabbits, coyotes and other creatures of the desert are sure to make a handsome addition to any child's, or adult collector's, bookshelf."
--Weekly Alibi

"[Douglass's] timeless illustrations for the Mesaland Series mix a pulpy comic-book flair he developed as a cartoonist with an attention to line detail and facial and body expressions that he must have developed as an oil painter."
--Pasatiempo