Drawing upon the increasing popularity of graphic novels among young readers, "Texas Tales Illustrated: The Trail Drives, #2" is an innovative retelling of the cattle drive era, sure to become an invaluable classroom resource. Author Mike Kearby and illustrator Mack White designed the book for use in seventh grade Texas history courses, in response to a need for more interactive textbooks, which appeal to the learning styles of students in today's overwhelmingly visual media culture.
White's detailed line drawings recall classic comic-book style and capture the drama and dangers of trailing cattle, while Kearby's narration is enticing, full of intriguing historic detail. The comic pages are supplemented with five pages of maps depicting the historic cattle trails. "The Trail Drives" is the second in the Texas Tales series. The first, "Texas Tales Illustrated: The Revolution, #1," was published by TCU Press in 2011.