Review by Booklist Review
In the tradition of Owen & Mzee (2006) and Tarra & Bella (2009) comes another tale of interspecies friendship. With hooves the size of quarters, Einstein, a mini miniature horse, is the smallest horse ever born. Although there are some advantages to being tiny, like seeing a tiger lily (his favorite flower) up close, Einstein is not tall enough to keep up with other equines, even his fellow miniature horses. The fascinating facts lead into a fictional story line as the presumably lonely horse searches for a playmate. After being swatted by kittens, ignored by swimming ducks, bored by tortoises, and surprised by frightening away a bunny, Einstein meets a dog named Lilly (yes, just like his favorite flower), who is just his size. Although Lilly and Einstein are actual friends, children will care less about the reality of their meeting and more about this unusual horse and the color photographs, which show him in action. Several pictures supply size comparisons, as do the endpapers. No doubt little Einstein will appeal to big hearts everywhere.--Leeper, Angel. Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Einstein, the smallest horse ever born, has a dilemma. He is too tiny to be with the other horses except for his mother. Various creatures find their way to his pasture, but none of them fills his need for a real playmate. The kittens hiss at him, the ducks ignore him, and the tortoise is boring. Then he meets Lilly, a boxer that likes to do the same things that he does, from running around in the field to enjoying a roll in the grass. This simple story is effectively told through a brief, lively text and captivating full-color photographs. The images of Einstein are irresistible. Whether in the stall with his mother or cavorting with Lilly, this mini miniature horse with hooves the size of quarters is a charmer. Einstein's owners are authors of this whimsical friendship story. Young animal lovers will enjoy the stallion's thoughts as they peruse the pictures again and again.-Carol Schene, formerly at Taunton Public Schools, MA (c) Copyright 2011. 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
The book starts as a day-in-the-life glimpse at YouTube phenom Einstein, the "smallest horse ever born." It next becomes a formulaic, anthropomorphized search for friendship, then resolves with an Odd Coupleesque pairing of horse and dog. The photographs, though plentiful and crisp, strangely fail to emphasize Einstein's extreme miniatureness in many of the pictures. (c) Copyright 2011. 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.