Horses: Trotting! Prancing! Racing!

by Patricia Hubbell, Joe Mathieu (Illustrator)

Horses do all kinds of things. They race around tracks, haul wagons, herd animals, and more. They need a lot of care from their owners, including brushing and exercise. Horses come in many sizes and colors. Joe Mathieu’s adorable illustrations rendered in watercolor and pencil bring fun to learning all about horses. Do you have a horse in your life? Clip-clop-clop! Includes an illustrated list of popular horse breeds.

Genres: Picture Books, Horses, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Patricia Hubbell has been writing poetry since she was eleven years old.
In 1998, her Wrapping Paper Romp was selected as a Parents Magazine Book of the Year.
Patricia Hubbell lives with her husband, Harold Hornstein, in Easton, Connecticut, the small town where she was born.
Remembering how much their children and grandchildren loved to bounce when they were very young prompted her to write Bouncing Time. "Bouncing is one of the joyous things little kids do," she says. "It reflects their constant enthusiasm."

Reviews

[Rachael Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good rhymes. Goes over the various jobs that horses can have.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preschool. Finally!!! A book for little horse lovers I can use in storytime!

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

(i think Goodreads is not acting right, don't see the kindle version??) curious on how or why these horses were drawn the way they were ... do u ever do that?? i am curious. very cool. i enjoyed this read. i've never ridden a horse. maybe one day. i appreciate them from afar. i am kind of shy when i don't get or understand critters ... don't want them to be mean or pick on me ... kind of like people ... i have understood that critters know this ...but i don't know how u get over that and don't feel shy or nervous?? maybe soon??! we will see??!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book that I would have loved as horse-crazy kid! The rhyming text is nice, and I liked that the story actually included some facts about horses, such as coat patterns and how to take care of a horse. The illustrations are both cute and fairly accurate (as a horse-girl, I would have noticed if they were drawn doing a movement horses can't actually do or in a coat pattern that doesn't exist). This is not super memorable or ground-breaking literature, but it's a quick-enough read that it will work for story time and appropriate for young readers.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for the kid

My horse obscessed three year old daughter loves this book! She wants me to read it to her every day.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

great for toddlers. Another of Hubbell's books.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids love horses, and this is a cute book about all the different roles horses play in our world.

[Nora Manca Wickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for kids who love horses

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many different kinds of horses and so many fun things that these beautiful creatures can do. My two year old granddaughter was mesmerized by the beautiful horse pictures and rhyming storyline.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

1/21/18 recording at Nanna and Poppa's

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Horses: Trotting! Prancing! Racing! is technically a work of fiction (it's shelved in the xzs, or picture book section, I imagine that it would make a great addition to a first grade classroom because it's quite comprehensive in its coverage of horses while also being short and having very appealing illustrations. In rhyming text, it talks about caring for horses ("Clean their stalls! Fill their pails! Brush their bodies, manes, and tails. Wipe their ears. Shine their feet. Give them apples for a treat."), what they like to eat ("They like to graze on tasty grass-- that's how their lazy days all pass."), what kind of things horses do, and how horses may look ("A horse can be black, brown, or bay, palomino, chestnut, gray; have freckles, streaks, and polka dots, be black and white with splotchy spots."). The watercolor and pencil illustrations are clear yet soft--they make you feel cheerful just by looking at it. I've come to realize that there aren't actually a lot of great horse books that are appropriate for storytime, so this a must-read for little horse lovers.

Ages 3-6 years old (it was a little boring for the 8 year olds in storytime, but they managed to stay focused).

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patricia Hubbell, Horses: Trotting! Prancing! Racing! (Amazon Children's Publishing, 2011)

full disclosure: this book was provided to me free of charge by Amazon Vine.

The official Amazon review for this book pegs it for an age range of 4-8, but I read it to my one-year-old this morning and he applauded at the end of it. (No, seriously, he clapped.) From the adult perspective, I thought there were a few places where it faltered—where the rhythm felt forced or it seemed as if the author were reaching for a rhyme (and I am willing to admit this may be because I went into reading it cold, rather than going through it myself a time or two to get the rhythm down before reading it out loud to the kid; “A horse can be black, brown, or bay/palomino, chestnut, gray” was a stumbling point this morning, but reading it now, I can see where to add the caesura to make the rhythm fit, for example; do yourself a favor and read this one to yourself a couple of times before reading it aloud!), but my child's reaction should tell you everything you need to know about this one. *** ½

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows a similar format to Patricia Hubbell's community helpers books (Police: Hurrying! Helping! Saving!, Firefighters!: Speeding! Spraying! Saving!, Check It Out! Reading, Finding, Helping, etc.), and it gives a nice overview of the different things horses can do for and with people. This is one of Hubbell's better-written rhyming books, and it will work nicely for teaching my 2.5-year-old a little bit more about horses.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction book to horses, their care and some of the things they do around the world.

So this book managing to get three stars is a big accomplishment. As a horsewoman, I'm super critical anytime horses are involved (be it in books, games or movies) and Ms. Hubbell obviously did her research on this one. The facts are very good, but what lost some stars were the illustrations. They felt too... commercial. Too much "quick sketch" not enough skill. Which was a big problem for me when the last page is a look at different horse breeds... that all look a lot alike. Horse breed differences are mostly subtle and the artist was not up to the task (which lost a whole star for the book).

No content issues.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a great description of horses; what they do and what they need. This book is a non-fiction text, but with a fiction feel to it. We think this text will be a great addition to one of our lessons. The students will be captivated by the illustrations and information about horses.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE Patricia Hubbell's rhythms, rhymes and topics. THis is a must for all horse lovers!

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple text, but the story has alot of facts for students/readers.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learn about horses and all of the things that they can do. Wonderful illustrations.

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very similar to her other books like Cars: Rushing! Honking! Zooming and Trains: Steaming! Pulling! Huffing! which we read last year.

[LeAnn Tipton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to horses for tots!

Pictures are good, info is great, and my daughter loved it enough to read it twice. Will read it again.

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book that is a fun ryhming poem with cute pictures.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

All horse lovers will enjoy this book.

[The Book Box]

Mama read this to me this morning.