The Absolutely Perfect Horse

by Marylois Dunn, Ardath Mayhar, Mike Wimmer (Cover artist)

When Annie is forced to resettle from Los Angeles to an East Texan farm, she saves her money to buy the "Absolutely Perfect Horse." But the nag she actually gets is a 35-year-old Appaloosa nicknamed "Dogmeat." In the end, though, this worn-out old steed proves his valor when a pack of wild dogs attacks the farm.

The formerly noble, now downtrodden horse known as Dogmeat helps Annie and her family reassess their values.

156 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1983

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cover image here: http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images...

What happens when you find the absolutely perfect horse (or the APH, as known in the book)? It may just be the most heartbreaking time of not only your life, but your family's.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. I'm sorry I lost my copy -- so I bought a replacement. Good for adults as well as the young adult market or whatever teens that can't legally drink yet are called.

[Carolyn]

Another delightful book from my childhood--I was very skeptical when my father brought the bedraggled hardcover home from a booksale when I was a kid, but this was amazing.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Absolutely Perfect Horse doesn't exist the way you would expect. Nothing in this world is perfect. But Chief, aka Dogmeat, was the APH for Annie and her family. Rescued from certain death, Annie brings Chief home to their new ranch in Texas. She was drawn to him on sight and they quickly form a bond that can't be broken. Her family soon falls for him as well. Chief makes himself a part of the family in every way, and proves that he's a horse as brave as any that ever roamed the plains.

This book brought me to tears, teaching life lessons even as you are drawn into the fascinating family drama that it offers. As we watch Annie and her siblings struggle with the normal teenage angst, and slowly grow up before our eyes, we can't help but root for them and their beloved Chief.

[Mazzou B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really didn't know what to expect of this book for the first half! It was interesting and I wanted to read it, but I didn't know what the climax would be if there was one. The author did a great job of preparing the story for the specific climax and end of the book. It was very touching and made me cry. Very nice book with no bad language or stuff to black out for younger readers. Okay- actually, there is are intense parts with rogue dogs which will scare younger readers. And the whole point of the book might be lost on readers younger than 13 anyway.

[♠BlueƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄ƷFangs♠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was super easy with big fat words, kinda boring but it was alright.