I like this book, because it is informational, but still easily comprehensible for young children. This book is about a real event, which is the Pony Express. The Pony Express was an early mail service in 1860 that required men on horses to send messages across the country. I think a lot of children would enjoy this book because of the adventure and action through the words and illustrations. This book also creates a hero, Buffalo Bill, on page 8 it talks about how, he could rope cattle when he was nine and "ride like the wind." Through out the book Buffalo Bill meets many people of different cultures and that is good for showing children the different types of people that were around in 1860 and are still around today. The illustrations also show the clothing people wore in the 1860's which is educational for young students. This book is not only a good read aloud, but is great for beginner readers, do to the small amount of words on each page, and the easy vocabulary used. ( )

Buffalo Bill rides across towns and different places, he is a pony express rider. This is a historical fiction because it could have happened in the past when many people rode horses everywhere. ( )

I liked this book 1. because of all the funny things Bill went thru, and 2. because Bill is my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great uncle. ( )

Historical Fiction – The book starts with a young Bill trying to be hired as a Pony Express Rider. After being hired, he has many adventures including being chased by Indians, wolves, and outlaws. Bill writes letters to his mother, never telling her about the dangerous parts of his job.

This is my second time reading about the Pony Express, the first time I was in the fifth grade (I am 37 now). I still find it fascinating how the mail was delivered, even though the Pony Express last only eighteen moths. The book was entertaining to read because it mixed the real dangers of the time with humorous ways of dealing with them.

In a classroom, I would have my students make a timeline of how mail has been delivered over the years. I would also have them compare how email today is like the telegraph that helped put an end to the Pony Express.