Rough, Tough Charley by Verla Kay

Rough, Tough Charley Reviews

• 
  Jessica Anthony

  This book is great for any child learning to rhyme and learn a little history all in one. In this book we learn about the rough tough Charley who is a carriage driver. We learn about all the crazy stories that Charley has been through while being the horse driver. The surprise at the end of the story however, is that Charley is actually a girl! she has been pretending this entire time to be a man so that she could have a more active filled life style. A great read for any little one who needs a bit of excitement and empowerment!
• 
  Mary Louise Sanchez

  This narrative poem tells the story of Charley Parkhust who ran away from an orphanage, doctored horses, and ended up in California in the 1850s working as a stage coach driver until retirement. At Charley's death, the doctor discovers Charlie is a woman. But in the meantime, Charley did a man's job and even voted before women got the right to vote in Wyoming.
  
  An extraordinary and little known historical character. Loved the timeline at the end of the biography.
  
  A good chance for a reader to get into character and show the "old west."
• 
  Hannah Givens

  Liked the story, didn't like the poetry, had no opinion about the art. I also take exception to the ending timeline that consistently uses "she" for Charley. We don't know why Charley chose to live as a man, but since he did, it'd be more appropriate to just use "he." But the book is definitely presented as "Look at this woman secretly living as a man, this proves women can do anything men can do" it doesn't address gender identity or Charley's possible motivations at all.
• 
  Molly

  I loved this story of Charley a hard working cowboy who is one of the best drivers of the stage coaches. The book has a fabulous ending and is a great book for anyone teaching womens rights or the old west.
• 
  Jenni Frencham

  Loved the story. Loved the illustrations. Some of the poetry was a bit stilted, though, so I might have enjoyed it better if it hadn't been written in verse. Still, a great gender-bending picture book.
• 
  Samantha

  I like that this is a fresh story in that I've never heard of Charley before. This is a new bit of history for me and that's always something I like to come across in children's picture books. I also like the western theme of the story. I like the artwork quite a bit. I like the smoothness of the colors, but the coarse tone of them in some areas (facial shadows/blurred edges of shapes). I also like that the book leaves the twist for the very end, because it flips the reader on their head a bit and kind of makes you go back and reconsider everything that Charley was doing from a different perspective.
  
  I half-enjoyed the "cryptic rhyme". I don't like how cryptic it can be when covering major plot points, because at times it can be frustrating to try to get the most out of the story with just the tiniest amount of wording available. I liked the rhythm of the rhyme throughout the story, because it was very smooth and driving. Some areas of the story were clearer than others, which was good, but some portions just take "cryptic rhyme" much too literally and created a feeling of stunted storytelling here and again. I would have preferred a rhyme scheme that allowed for a bit more length, to really get some of the more detailed parts of the plot covered, instead of having to read through a list of facts in the end. The end facts were really just a chronological overview of the book that was just read, with more context...so it is like retelling the story in a typical dry history manner, without any of the characterization of a picture book. I would have liked to have seen the prose and the facts blended more effectively to just tell the story in one broad swoop, instead of two alternate methodologies that ends up feeling like double reading instead of further information on what was just read and learned.
  
  Overall though, a very intriguing book that provides a lesser known aspect of history to readers.
• 
  Rachael Fricke

  It's written in rhyme. A simple story of a boy, who does all the things boys do, cares for horses, drives a stagecoach, votes, but never marries. On his death bed the people find out he's had a secret this whole time. An adorable story. Simply written. Young readers will enjoy reading this story independently or it would make for a great read-aloud. There is even a twist ending!
• 
  Lori

  The story of Charley Darkey Pankhurst, expert “whip” or stagecoach driver during the California Gold Rush, said to have always delivered passengers safely to their end destination. This story has an astonishing surprise ending which may be controversial for some.
• 
  Raquel Pilar

  Amazing story! Great surprise at the end when we end up knowing who Charlie is!
  I have been sharing it for some time with students and they adore it, it is always surprising and amazing to see their reactions at the end.
• 
  Miriam

  Biography book in verse with surprise at end. Good for reviewing summarizing and teaching about drawing conclusions.
• 
  Dan Blackley

  This true story about a wagon driver is a fun book with a surprise that is great. Kay writes with her signature rhyming style. I enjoy her books.
  
• 
  Sandy

  My daughter was a bit bored with this true story, but she loved the twist ending. She even went and reread it once she knew Charley's secret.
• 
  Kim Hampton

  I loved the historical aspect of this book, and think it would be a great way to teach a lesser known but very important character to kids.
• 
  Kris

  The poetry here isn't all that great, but the story is interesting. The timeline at the end keeps referring to Charley as "she" - for whatever reason, Charley lived life as a man and that should be respected, so that bugged me.
• 
  Krista the Krazy Kataloguer

  I like Verla Kay's history books. She manages to summarize historical events in verses easy and short enough for middle elementary age children to read. This one is about a stagecoach driver named Charley Parkhurst, who I've read about before in Pam Munoz Ryan's Riding Freedom. Charley was an excellent stagecoach driver, tough, fearless. After he retired from the business, he voted and worked at other jobs. On his deathbed, however, to everyone's surprise, it was discovered that Charley was a woman! How clever "he" was to find the freedom to vote and to work any job "he" chose at a time when women couldn't vote and were barred from many types of jobs. The illustrations in this book were uneven in depicting Charley as a female disguised as a male--some pictures were convincing; others weren't. Nevertheless, I recommend this book as an intro to perhaps the first woman to vote in the U.S.
• 
  Tim Snell

  Genre: Historical Fiction/Biography
  Copyright: 2007
  
  Charley Darkey is rough and tough and always gets the job done. Charley Darkey is the fastest, safest stagecoach driver in all the land, whose passengers always arrive on time, and none were ever injured. Charley Darkey, who got kicked in the eye was as tough as they come, but Charley has a secret that nobody but Charley knows.
  
  This book was written in a rhyming verse style and the illustrations were great. There is a little bit of dialect in the beginning that may confuse young readers, but other than that, the book was well written. The last page of the book has information about Charley Darkey in a time-line fashion. The story even had something I couldn't see coming! Nice, easy read for younger readers.
• 
  Leigh

  This has got to be one of the weirdest books I've ever read. It's the true story of Charley, a women who disguised as a man, drove a stagecoach out West for many years. She was not detected until after her death. Basically, the book is a plea to understand that women can do anything men can. The rhyming style and bluntly told story make it a compelling read. But you have to wonder if Charley was an eccentric, desperate to earn a decent wage, or just a weirdo. This is the sort of picture book that stays in your mind, long after more conventional storybooks have faded.
• 
  Sarah

  This is a biography told in rhyme about Charley, the runaway orphan who became a famous stagecoach driver. He was known for being on time, having excellent control over the team of horses, and shooting any thieves who tried to steal from his passengers. The "wild west" feeling of the time period comes through in action-packed painted illustrations. The best part of the story, however, is the shock we get at the end when we find out that Charley is actually a woman. She's been pretending to be a man so she could live a more active life (and vote!).
• 
  Matthew

  This was a very short form of poetry that told the story of a woman who posed as a man and drove wagon trains in the days of the wild west. It was an interesting story, though a few more syllables in a couple of the lines would have been appreciated. But what do I know? I've never been much for some forms of poetry.
• 
  Amanda Murphy

  I'd never heard of Charles Parkhurst before. This was a very interesting history lesson, though I give it four stars more for the introduction into something new and the timeline at the end than for the story itself. I guess I don't care for the poetic style it was written in.
• 
  LibraryLaur

  Loved the twist at the end!
• 
  Marianne

  Excellent biography for young readers. Charley was a very interesting and colorful pony express "person."