Wonder Horse by Emily Arnold McCully. 2010.

Wonderful Horses; Wonderful Trainers

Inspiration Book:

Wonder horse by McCully, Emily Arnold - Henry Holt, p2010, c2010 --E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.9. A fictionalized account of Bill "Doc" Key, a former slave who became a veterinarian, trained his horse, Jim Key, to recognize letters and numbers and to perform in skits around the country, and moved the nation toward a belief in treating animals humanely. Includes an author's note. Children’s Crown Award Nominee

Rationale: Horses are another topic that you will probably not find within the standard curriculum. However, it is a dearly loved topic especially by girls, those girls who take riding lessons or wish they could take riding lessons and have a horse. The result, libraries need plenty of good horse stories.

I keep lists of horse books for displays or inclusion within a story hour or book talk. The lists are specific horse topics as well as general lists.My  Books Alive is a way to keep abreast of newer titles about topics, for the bibliographies are updated regularly. This is a specific bibliography which can be used at a variety of times and for a different twist on the “ole nag” story. The titles in this list have two commonalities: they are about horse training and/or Black cowboys or trainers.

Prepare a display of the books in this collection during February and Black History Month or in May around Kentucky Derby time.  If you have a die cut horse pattern, cut a horse marker to insert in the top of each book as a nice “extra” for the person who checks the book out. If I want to keep a display up-to-date for a few weeks, attach a horse sticker to the spine. When the book returns you will easily recognize that it is a book for your display and can place it within the display. If you or your children have model horses, add the horses to the display. In some schools horses are so popular that I place a commercial horse sticker on the spine. Students can easily spot those books, but I prefer that they use the catalog because they are learning a life-long skill. I usually use the stickers for more temporary usage.

The titles in this list would also make a good book talk for grades 3 and up. Start by reading one of the picture books: Wonder Horse or Seabiscuit, then use the catalog summaries to book talk the remainder of the books. You will note that both fiction and nonfiction are in the list and both picture books and chapter books, making the bibliography and display suitable for multiple ages. A series of books by Jane Smiley are included--Smiley is more than a series writer about horses--they are well done enough to stand on their own. Two stories about Bill Key also appear, one the Inspiration picture book, the other a lengthier book for older readers.

Related Titles for Book Talk and/or Display

Grades K-3

Seabiscuit : the wonder horse by McCarthy, Meghan - Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, p2008, c2008 --798.4--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.8

Seabiscuit, a funny looking horse with a losing streak, is bought and given a second chance by Charles Howard, and after new training and a loving jockey, Seabiscuit starts winning more races, but must prepare to run against War Admiral, the top racehorse in the country.

Miniature horses by Lunis, Natalie - Bearport Publ., p2010, c2010 --636.1--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 4.8. Provides photographs and information about the history and behaviors of miniature horses, and looks at what the horses need to be happy, healthy pets.

Grades 3-6

The lifesaving adventure of Sam Deal, shipwreck rescuer by Tourville, Amanda Doering - Graphic Universe, p2011, c2011 --741.5--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 3.1. Graphic novel adaptation of: Rescue on the Outer Banks, by Candice Ransom.;Includes bibliographical references (p. 31). In 1896, ten-year-old Sam Deal and Ginger, the wild horse he has tamed, assist an African American lifesaving crew as they attempt to rescue survivors of a shipwreck off the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Justin and the best biscuits in the world by Walter, Mildred Pitts - Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, p2010, c1986 --Fic--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 4.2. Suffering in a family full of females, ten-year-old Justin feels that cleaning and keeping house are women's work until he spends time on his beloved grandfather's ranch. King Award winner

Wild girl by Giff, Patricia Reilly - Wendy Lamb Books, p2009, c2009 --Fic--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 4.3. When twelve-year-old Lidie leaves Brazil to join her father and brother on a horse ranch in New York, she has a hard time adjusting to her changed circumstances, as does a new horse that has come to the ranch.

Gabriel’s horses by Hart, Alison - Peachtree, p2009, c2007 --Fic--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 4.6

In Kentucky, during the Civil War, the twelve-year-old slave Gabriel, contends with a cruel new horse trainer and skirmishes with Confederate soldiers as he pursues his dream of becoming a jockey.

Horse showing for kids : everything a young rider needs to know to prepare, train, and compete in English or Western events : plus, getting-ready check-lists and show dairy pages by Kinball, Cheryl - Storey Kids, p2004, c2004 --798.2--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 4.6. Presents a handbook that examines tips on training, grooming, and preparations for horse showing and provides advice on how to impress judges, show-ring etiquette, the types of shows to enter, and how to win ribbons.

Astra by Platt, Chris - Peachtree, p2010, c2010 --Fic--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 5.2. Forbidden to ride after her mother's death in a riding accident, thirteen-year-old Lily nurses her mother's beloved horse, Astra, back to health, hoping that someday Astra will win the Tevis Cup endurance race.

The last Black king of the Kentucky Derby : the story of Jimmy Winkfield by Hubbard, Crystal - Lee * Low Books, p2008, c2008 --798.4 --Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 5.7. A biography of Jimmy Winkfield, the last African-American to ride a winner in the Kentucky Derby, discussing the challenges he faced in the course of becoming one of the sport's best jockeys and trainers in the U.S., Russia, and France in the early twentieth-century. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.

Step right up : how Doc and Jim Key taught the world about kindness by Bowman, Donna Janell — Lee & Low Books Inc., 2016. Dewey: 179; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.9. A picture book biography of Dr. William Key, a former slave and self-trained veterinarian who taught his horse, Jim, to read and write and who together with Jim became one of the most famous traveling performance acts around the turn of the twentieth century.

Grades 5-8

Ghetto cowboy : a novel by Neri, Greg --Candlewick Press, p2011, c2011--Fic--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 4.6. Twelve-year-old Cole's behavior causes his mother to drive him from Detroit to Philadelphia to live with a father he has never known, but who soon has Cole involved with a group of African-American "cowboys" who rescue horses and use them to steer youths away from drugs and gangs.

Pie in the Sky (Horses Of Oak Valley Ranch, Book 4) by Smiley, Jane — A Yearling Book, 2013. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 4.9. Abby Lovitt is put in charge of training the expensive and haughty horse Pie in the Sky when his owner refuses. While trying to get a hold on him, she must deal with the new challenges, both good and bad, that come with being a freshman in high school in 1970's Northern California.

True blue by Smiley, Jane - Yearling, p2012, c2011 --Fic--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 5.1. In 1960s California, eighth-grader Abby Lovitt has trouble with True Blue, whose former owner was killed in a tragic accident, and Abby wonders whether the horse's skittish nature is because he is being haunted by the ghost of his former owner.

The Georges and the Jewels by Smiley, Jane - Yearling, p2009, c2009 --Fic--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 5.2. Seventh-grader Abby Lovitt grows up on her family's California horse ranch in the 1960s, learning to train the horses her father sells and trying to reconcile her strict religious upbringing with her own ideas about life. Children’s Crown Nominee

A Good horse by Smiley, Jane - Yearling, p2011, 2010 --Fic--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 5.3. On her family's California horse ranch in the 1960s, eighth-grader Abby Lovitt tries to rely on her Christian faith as she faces the possibility of giving up her beloved colt, Jack.

Gee Whiz (Horses Of Oak Valley Ranch, Book 5) by Smiley, Jane — Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.6. Soon after her yearling, Jack, begins working with professional trainers at a nearby ranch, Abby Lovitt takes responsibility for a very large, very smart, and very curious retired racehorse named Gee Whiz.

White stallion of Lipizza by Henry, Marguerite — Aladdin, 2015. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.7. A baker's son, who dreams of becoming a riding master at Vienna's Spanish Court Riding School, is admitted as an apprentice and achieves his desire under the tutelage of both two-legged and four-legged masters.

Horse by Clutton-Brock, Juliet - DK, p2008, c2008 --636.1--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 7.6. A photo essay introducing members of the horse family, their evolution, behavior, importance, history, breeding, and training. Includes a CD-ROM with clip art.

Behind the scenes : the racehorse by Tate, Nikki - Fitzhenry & Whiteside, p2008, c2008 --798.4--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 8.3. Full-color, illustrated photographs describing the history of horseracing, the breeds developed for the sport, and the specific training and caring of race horses.