Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2-4. The many large, clear photos will draw children to this colorful book, which middle-grade children can read on their own and younger horse enthusiasts will enjoy as a read-aloud choice. Though some of the photos look posed, they all illustrate the text clearly, showing many young children watching, mounting, riding, and caring for horses. Each double-page spread highlights a single topic, such as What to wear, Horses and ponies in stables, and even First jump. A typical spread features one or two large photos and an introductory paragraph as well as several small, captioned photos and a brief sidebar or two. The book begins with English-style riding, and ends with several pages on Western riding, equipment, and gaits. Attractive and accessible for real riders and those just dreaming of it. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-With a format that is appealing and well organized, this informative guide covers the basics about horses and ponies, including physical characteristics, care and feeding, grooming, and stabling. After discussing proper clothing and "tacking up," the author takes a look at English and Western riding. Colorful photos show a diverse group of children-with some assistance from adults-demonstrating the complexities of horsemanship. The age of the youngsters depicted is appropriate for the volume's target audience. The photos are excellent-bright and clear-and precisely illustrate what the text is describing. The book is packed with helpful hints and ideas, and boxed sections present useful tidbits, such as explaining what a "kind eye" is or what a "hand" means in equestrian terminology. Sandy Ransford's The Kingfisher Illustrated Horse and Pony Encyclopedia (Kingfisher, 2004) is much more comprehensive, but Draper's offering is right on target for the younger horse set.-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
With crisp, full-page photos of appealing children, trainers, and ponies, this introductory volume uses caption-style short paragraphs of text, along with photo insets and ""Safety first!"" and ""Top tip"" sidebars to convey information about horses and ponies, their care and feeding, grooming, tacking, and riding English and Western. The topics follow a logical progression, and the pictures aid comprehension. Ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
