Leroy Ninker Saddles Up

Kate DiCamillo’s Leroy Ninker Saddles Up, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen, is a children’s book following the titular character as he pursues his dream of becoming a cowboy and getting his first horse. This first book in the Deckawoo Drives series explores the themes of The Importance of Following One’s Dreams, The Need for Friendship and Community, and Overcoming Obstacles with Determination and Positivity. Named the 2013 Parent’s Choice Gold Award recipient, this text was also recognized as one of the best books of the year by various outlets.

This guide refers to the 2014 Candlewick Press print edition of the text.

Plot Summary

The protagonist, Leroy Ninker, works the concession stand at the Bijou Drive-In Theater and adores the Western films shown there since he dreams of being a cowboy. Although he already possesses a hat, boots, and a lasso, his co-worker Beatrice Leapaleoni points out that he is missing a horse, which all cowboys need. When Beatrice shows him an advertisement for a horse, she encourages him to take control of his own fate and go get the animal.

The next day, Leroy walks to the address in the advertisement. Despite taunts from passing cars, Leroy remains in good spirits thinking of the perfect horse’s name: Tornado. When he finally arrives and meets Patty LeMarque, the animal’s owner, Leroy learns that the horse’s name is Maybelline. Although the horse has only four teeth, Leroy thinks she is wonderful. Because Patty has a good feeling about Leroy, she agrees to sell him the horse. Before he leaves, she shares three important instructions: First, Leroy must compliment Maybelline frequently, for she needs to hear kind and beautiful words. Second, the horse eats a lot of food. Finally, Leroy must never leave Maybelline alone for too long, or he will regret it.

When Leroy jumps in the saddle, he says “giddy-up,” but Maybelline does not budge. Patty reminds Leroy about complimenting the horse, so he whispers kind words to her. Maybelline’s ears twitch, and she takes a step. With each new compliment, Maybelline moves faster. Leroy is ecstatic. As the sun begins to set, they slow to a stop, and Leroy tells her to go home. However, Maybelline remains still. Realizing that the horse does not know where home is, Leroy dismounts and gently leads the way.

At his apartment, he’s immediately faced with a problem—Maybelline will not fit through the door, no matter how much pushing and maneuvering he does. Remembering item two, Leroy goes inside to find food for her. Discovering that he lacks appropriate feed for horses—oats and hay—Leroy opts to make her a pot of spaghetti, which Maybelline loves so much that he makes two more. Then, remembering item three, Leroy takes off his boots and curls up at her feet outside to sleep with her for the night, so she is not alone.

Sometime during the night, Leroy wakes from his cowboy dreams to thunder and lightning. It begins to rain. With Maybelline still asleep, Leroy goes inside to retrieve an umbrella. Maybelline wakes up frightened that Leroy is not there and runs. Leroy returns with the umbrella, distraught to discover that Maybelline is missing. After the wind rips the umbrella from his hands, he runs off in his socks to find her.

All night, through the storm, cowboy and horse wander in different directions. Leroy feels downtrodden. He does not have his hat, boots, or lasso to help him find his horse; he feels less like a cowboy than ever. Meanwhile, Maybelline is distressed to be alone and longs for Leroy’s kind words. As day breaks, she finds herself looking inside the front window of a house, watching a family eat breakfast together.

When the sun rises, Leroy notices hoofprints in the mud and feels elated. Sprinting, he follows the tracks and eventually hears a whinny. Jumping over a bush and climbing a wall, he races to where Maybelline stands. Leroy hugs her tightly and whispers compliments to her. Just then, a little girl, Stella Endicott, emerges from her house and asks about Leroy’s horse. When he tells her that Maybelline enjoys compliments, the girl obliges and then talks about her neighbors, the Watsons, who have a pig. Stella’s brother, Frank, runs up, worried that the horse might hurt his sister.

As if on cue, Mrs. Watson steps onto her front porch with Mercy, her pig. Recognizing Leroy from when he tried to steal from her house (in the book Mercy Watson Fights Crime), Mrs. Watson says hello and invites everyone inside for toast. When Leroy doubts that Maybelline will fit through the door, the woman proclaims that there is a way to make anything fit. Content, Leroy leads Maybelline inside and enjoys toast with Mercy, the Watsons, and the kids.

In the days that follow, Leroy rides Maybelline to work at the theater every night. The horse enjoys watching films and eating popcorn. Although she loves to see other horses in the Westerns, romance movies are her favorite because she likes to hear the kind words people say to each other, which reminds her of the bond she shares with Leroy—he will always speak kindly to her, and she will always listen.