Hello, friends! Our book today is Outlaw Pete, written by Bruce Springsteen and illustrated by Frank Caruso. Using the lyrics of Springsteen’s song, Outlaw Pete tells the tragic story of the toughest and most fearsome gunslinger to ever roam the West.

Pete is an outlaw from birth, no doubt about it. By six months old, he’d already spent three months in jail. He fears no lawman, shows no mercy, and only slows his wild ride across the West to sow mayhem and misery. One night, Pete awakes from a nightmare of his own demise, and decides to retire. He falls in love with a Native woman, marrying and having a baby. But when you’ve done terrible things, there’s no hiding forever – eventually, Pete’s past catches up to him, and he makes a terrible choice that sends him on the run once more, never to return.

If that plot summary doesn’t sound like a children’s book, well… you’re not wrong. Truth be told, Outlaw Pete is a book that’s a difficult to pin down. Inspired by Springsteen’s childhood stories, this is an authentic murder ballad, complete with language and illustrations of crime and death. However, it also has some of the most beautiful art I’ve seen in a picture book, an exciting story, and even a valid lesson for little ones: doing bad and hurting others is something you can never truly escape. So, would we recommend it? Well, full disclosure: the Baby Bookworm family are huge Springsteen fans. And truthfully, it probably will become part of our rotation: JJ loved the art, adored the song as I sang it to her, and we’re a family that doesn’t shy away from dark themes. I would say this: if you’re not looking for a book that will raise a lot of tough questions with your little reader, maybe pass on this one. But for Springsteen fans, fans of gorgeous Western-inspired illustrations, and those that don’t mind criminal misdeeds in their picture books, this one is Baby Bookworm approved!