The Silver Horse Switch

March 2, 2009
This lighthearted early chapter book, which launches the Horse Crazy series, is set in Lester’s (Are We There Yet?
) and Harvey’s (In the City: Our Scrapbook of Souvenirs
) native Australia. Horse-loving best friends Bonnie and Sam detect a change in Drover, the mare that Sam’s father rides on his police rounds. Longing to run free, Drover, it turns out, has swapped places with an identical brumby (wild horse) that prefers the safety of the paddock (“Both horses saw the life they wanted, with only the fence in their way”). After the girls secretly break in the “new Drover” to prepare her for her job, the horse takes some humorous missteps—following a baker into his shop—before finally getting a chance to save the day. Harvey’s ink and watercolor pictures cheerily depict life in the bush and capture the personalities of the heroines and their equine friends. Off to a snappy start, the series continues with The Circus Horse
, also out. Ages 5–8.

July 1, 2009
Gr 2-4-Set in a small town in the Australian bush, these books introduce best friends Bonnie and Samantha and their shared adventures and passion for horses. In "Switch", a farm horse belonging to Sams father and a wild horse, or brumby, mysteriously switch placesand only Bon and Sam discover the truth. After Sams policeman father unexpectedly mounts the newly domesticated animal to gallop off and rescue a toddler from an oncoming train, Sam divulges the horses true identity, but he doesnt believe her. One year later, the girls encounter the former farm horse in the bush, happily acclimated with the brumbies. In "Circus Horse", Bon, having practiced some trick riding for the local talent show, secretly takes the place of an injured rider in a visiting circus. She manages to turn her near fall into a clownlike part of the act, much to the enjoyment of the unsuspecting audience. While both plots in these short chapter books require some suspension of disbelief, overall they are an engaging window into rural life Down Under and the friendship of two enviably independent girls who are knowledgeable, skilled riders. Lighthearted ink and watercolor illustrations charmingly convey the Aussie terrain and the cast of human and equine characters. However, some of the more finely detailed drawings and small-font captions could be visually challenging for some young eyes. A short glossary of unfamiliar terms is a vital addition for American readers. Additional purchases where there is strong interest in horse stories for newly fluent readers."Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT"

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