Synopses & Reviews
This gorgeous, resonant tale is a beautiful recollection from Holly Hobbie's own childhood about her love affair with horses.When Holly's family moves from the city to the countryside, she's scared of this new world at first, but gradually comes to love the animals she encounters. Soon she is drawing the horses in the local pastures obsessively, hinting to her parents what she wants more than anything. But will her one wish ever come true?
Review
A Smithsonian 2010 Notable Book for Children
Review
* "Beautifully depicts a time when life for a young farm girl was filled with rustic barns, fields, and delightful animals, while [Hobbie's] heartwarming text conveys a sense of innocence and dreams. Cozy as a grandmother's quilt, this book will have adults reminiscing and children dreaming."--School Library Journal, starred review
Review
* "Hobbie offers an affecting yet never sentimental memoir... [that] perfectly balances realistic watercolor renderings... with comical spot illustrations of herself and her mischievous brothers.... The joyful surprise ending may puzzle younger readers, but adults will recognize the authenticity of a youthful change of heart."--Publishers Weekly, starred review
Review
"Both the vivid text and the appealing ink-and-watercolor illustrations are well calibrated to hold children's interest. This engaging picture book, one of the few offering a realistic story with a rural setting, will speak to horse-crazy kids everywhere."--Booklist
Review
"The author's watercolor illustrations are nuanced and lovely, as always, adding to the narrative."--Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Holly Hobbie has worked as an artist for more than thirty years and is the author of eleven highly acclaimed Toot and Puddle picture books, as well as
Fanny,
Fanny and Annabelle, and an illustrated memoir,
The Art of Holly Hobbie.