Review by Booklist Review
When Maggie attempts to saddle and bridle her horse, Bramble, she finds her uncooperative until they reach a solution she sees as give-and-take. Later, Bramble creates a bit of trouble with neighbor Mr. Dingle. The man's unconventional solution involves some neighborly giving and taking, but it leaves everyone happy in the end. The second book in the Bramble and Maggie series offers more intriguing insights into the horse's mind. Portraying human and animal characters empathetically, the narrative features moments of humor as well as insight. Expressive watercolor artwork will draw horse lovers to this highly satisfying book for beginning readers.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Bramble and Maggie return in this delightful tale about a girl and her horse. In soft gouache tones, the natural colors depict life on a farm, at the beach, and in the backyard where Maggie introduces Bramble to new places in their neighborhood. The illustrations provide support to the text, chapters are concise, and the narrative is developed well for comprehension and reading fluency. Maggie learns that by offering her horse a carrot, it is much easier to get her bridle on. Bramble is unhappy when Maggie and her family leave for the day and there is no one to apply bug spray or to keep her company. It is only when she ambles over to Mr. Dingle's fence and starts eating the neighbor's roses that she meets his hen and things start to change for her. The horse discovers that the hen eats all the bugs nearby, and she uses Bramble's back for a perch so the animals are much happier together. Full spreads and realistic artwork convey the characters' emotions well, helping emerging readers understand that friendships are often about give-and-take. Equine fans and those ready to progress to more substantial plots will enjoy this early reader.-Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI (c) Copyright 2013. 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
Now that Maggie's new horse, Bramble, has settled in (Bramble and Maggie, rev. 3/12), everyone has some adjusting to do. In four chapters, beginning readers will get to know this pair better, along with their neighbors and a broader meaning of the phrase give and take. Readers learn from the very first page, when Maggie suggests going for a ride, that Bramble in particular has strong opinions and dry wit: "Bramble knew about rides. The rider sat in the saddle. The horse did all the hard work." For new readers gaining confidence, the simple sentences are peppered with more challenging vocabulary, and they build in complexity over the course of the book. The soft gouache illustrations delicately draw out and supplement the text's humor in both spot art and full spreads. While Bramble's arrival brings plenty of trouble, it also comes with many benefits only discovered through experiment and compromise. As Bramble herself asserts in the first chapter, "Neither of them should be boss all the time. There should be some give-and-take." julie roach (c) Copyright 2013. 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 delightful first chapter book improves upon its predecessor (Bramble and Maggie, 2012) from the same author/illustrator pair. Bramble, an opinionated mare, isn't about to be taken advantage of. For instance, she knows all about rides: "The rider sat in the saddle. The horse did all the hard work." Young Maggie, as always, has Bramble's number, and with a little judicious bribery (give-and-take, thinks Bramble), they are soon having adventures together, Maggie in the saddle, Bramble content. But with Maggie at school and her parents working all day, Bramble feels lonely. She copes by harassing their neighbor, Mr. Dingle, whose beloved garden is threatened both by Bramble and by his own recalcitrant hen. Mr. Dingle thinks he has a solution--revealed only in the illustrations--and with a little more give-and-take, everyone is happy. Haas combines realistic horse adventures and grade school pony love like no one else. Bramble is sassy but never scary; Maggie persistent and cheerful, but not all-knowing. Friend's enticing gouache illustrations appear on every page, a help to children just moving into longer books. Young readers will eat it up. (Fiction. 5-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
