For Horse-Crazy Girls Only

September 27, 2010
Filled with quizzes, trivia, top 10 lists, and information about equine behavior, history, sports, and more, this guidebook aims straight at the hearts of horse-loving tweens. Produced in collaboration with model horse manufacturer Breyer (which gets some nice coverage in the collectibles section), the book runs the gamut from how to pick a horse's name to horses in popular culture, the evolution of the species, and horse-related events nationwide. The many sidebars, tidbits, and anecdotes encourage casual browsing—horse lovers will be in heaven. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 7–12.

April 1, 2011

Gr 3-8-The title emphatically sets the tone for this enjoyable volume of facts that read like "Ripley's Believe It or Not." It includes horse jokes; detailed explanations about markings from head to tail; lists of books, movies, and weird horse ailment names; and much more. The tone is lighthearted and conversational with highlighted vignettes of horse lore and intriguing facts accompanied by appealing black-and-white drawings. The chapter headings will have readers quickly checking them out to find out the top 10 horse computer games (off-line), horses on the web, and pony places and horsey happenings, to name a few. Practical advice about working with horses is provided, and there is a brief, inspiring chapter on volunteerism that features young women who have made a difference in the quality of the lives of the animals and people. Numerous websites are identified, and an extensive print bibliography is also included. There is a brief chapter about the famous Breyer models that fans love collecting, which fits in with all of the other information that will enable horse-crazy girls to immerse themselves in the equine world.-Carol Schene, formerly at Taunton Public Schools, MA

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