Review by Booklist Review
K-Gr. 3. Using her characteristic informational picture-book format, Gibbons introduces this magnificent animal to young readers. She begins with a history of the species (including its mysterious disappearance from North America), discusses the main sizes and breeds, and explains many of the specialized terms associated with the animal. Gibbons also comments on gaits, behavior (a short twitch of the tail means that a horse is nervous), and the life cycle. Attractive, full-color labeled illustrations fill every page, with many expanding on a particular point in the main text. Report writers won't find an index or even a table of contents, but Gibbons does include an appendix of extra facts, and the book's accessible format will attract browsers as well as legions of young would-be equestrians. --Kay Weisman Copyright 2003 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Another quality nonfiction title from a veteran author. Gibbons presents an abundance of information about these "powerful, graceful, and majestic animals" in a pleasing and well-organized format. Using succinct and interesting language complemented by colorful and accurate illustrations, she describes the history of horses, their anatomy, how they communicate through sounds and body movement, care and grooming (including the wide range of tools needed to maintain a healthy coat), and different breeds. Finally, readers learn that horses "are good friends and companions." Thoroughbreds, Welsh ponies, Clydesdales, and many others are shown grazing and prancing across the pages, and the carefully placed captions define terminology and often clarify or add to the text. This book will definitely make the winner's circle.-Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Basic horse information--origins, breeds, gaits, parts of the body, and other vocabulary--is covered on text-heavy pages filled with Gibbons's awkward illustrations. Breed labels beside the horses are helpful as the breeds can't always be distinguished via the draftsmanship. Although the information is solid, it has been conveyed many times before in more attractive and accessible ways. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This latest from the overly prolific Gibbons reads like an encyclopedia article but looks even worse due to shockingly abysmal artwork. She covers a history of horses, the names of the parts of their bodies, a brief overview of their physical characteristics and activities, but includes many errors and oversimplifications--a crossbred horse does not necessarily, for example, have "at least one parent that is not a purebred." (Any horse descended from purebred horses of different breeds is a crossbred.) Hoof oil does not keep hooves from cracking. Grooming a horse does far more than make a horse "look beautiful." Gibbons's people always look plastic; here, her horses suffer a wide variety of physical maladies and joint deformations. Worse, all the horses look the same, yet are labeled as different breeds--a Holstein depicted as a smallish animal jumping, a Morgan and a Quarter Horse identical except for color, a yearling just like a Thoroughbred just like a Hackney. For proof that horse books can be accurately and invitingly illustrated with drawings, look to Margot Apple's Appaloosa to Zebra. For interesting horse books, look anywhere else. (Nonfiction. 5-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
