Review by Booklist Review
In a companion to Cow (2002), the author and illustrator outdo themselves with a simple, appealing text and inviting, photo-realistic oil paintings. Doyle introduces the prototypical horse standing alone in a field: She is waiting. After a visit from two children, who talk quietly to her, little listeners find out that she is waiting for the birth of her foal. The foal, in turn, learns to walk and run (and rest in between), and his growth and progress are shown during the course of a year. Rinaldi's illustrations are pleasingly attuned to the changing seasons, the musculature of the two horses, and the beauty of the mother and foal as they trot around the field. They also capture the bond between a girl and her horse (no adults are pictured or mentioned in the book). The final, lovely last spread, showing a horse and its girl galloping along, offers a promise of further freedoms: One day we're going to ride, you and I, over the hill and all the way to the sea. --Nolan, Abby Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
As in their previous pairing for Cow, Doyle and Rinaldi offer a spare text and panoramic paintings to describe the life of a farm animal. The illustrations in this oversize book are stunning as they depict the seasons, from the mare waiting for her foal to be born until the following spring, when a girl puts a head collar over [the yearling's] warm, silken nose and dreams of riding him over the hill and all the way to the sea. The photo-realistic oil paintings of the countryside are drenched in sunlight, awash with billowing, John Constable clouds, and startling in their rendering of the sparkling snow; the book tells as much about the beauty of ever-changing nature as it does about horses. The quiet text, only a sentence or two per page, adds to the book's serene tone, giving readers more time to peruse the elegant paintings. Ages 5-9. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Doyle and Rinaldi briefly describe, in simple text and handsome artwork, the springtime birth of a foal and his first year of growth, culminating on a fine morning a year later when his young owner slips a bridle over his head and leads him quietly around the field for the first time. The stunning double-page oil paintings cover every inch of space, showing farm fields, barn stall, and paddock as well as the human and equine characters. Several illustrations are so realistic that they appear to be painted-over photographs. Like Cow (S & S, 2002), Horse is a beautifully rendered, loving introduction to a familiar animal.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (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
This ode to horses begins with a pregnant mare's foaling, then focuses on her colt's first year. The text is spare (sometimes to the point of confusion). Lush, full-bleed, textured oil paintings with realistic-looking details, both expansive and small, evoke the bond between a new horse and the girl who loves him. (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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Similar in look and feel to the duo's well-received Cow (2002), this offering follows a foal from his dam's patient waiting, through his birth and first romp in spring pasture, his furry-coated winter and, finally, the day he's first haltered and his training begins. The subject matter allows for a more human-oriented story line than Cow--the young horse's also-young owner, a girl, appears as he gets ready for training--but the same pastoral realism prevails. Rinaldi's lush, photorealistic oil paintings convey emotion and movement and get all the details right--including, hooray, riders depicted in appropriate safety equipment. A beautiful book for equine lovers of all ages, storytime and up. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
