Horses!

by Gail Gibbons

No other animal has captured people's imaginations or changed their lives as has the horse. Their grace, strength, and beauty have made horses sought after as well as useful. What would kings and queens, knights and conquistadores, cowboys and stagecoach drivers, or farmers have done without them? In this informative book, Gail Gibbons relates some of the long history that horses and humans have shared. She looks at horse biology and behavior and includes colorful, clear, and accessible diagrams.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Horses, Nonfiction, Science, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

From gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.

Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.

Reviews

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to horses 🐎 I am certain the kids would point out how much Sarah would like it because of the Greek in the book.

[Kristiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of facts. A bit long and dry for content. Not my favorite Gibbons book.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horses, by Gail Gibbons, presents a wide array of facts about horses in a story like manner. A portion of the book is dedicated to explaining the history of horses, leading up to their role in today’s society. Some of the most common types of horses are introduced in this book. The traits that are shared by all horses, their life span and social habits are discussed.
This book features only hand drawn cartoon pictures. This art style may appeal to very young children. Each picture is accompanied by a few words identifying certain aspects of the picture. This is a very good way to introduce horse vocabulary. In the text of the book, all new words are clearly described in a way that can be understood by young children.
Kindergarten and first grade students will especially love reading this book, as the illustrations are done in a familiar style. Most young children have not been exposed to real photographs in their everyday storybooks. This book provides much needed basic understanding about horses for young children.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging and informative, this updated title keeps its original format and illustrations. The easy to read text has plenty of white space and a large font which are used to explain the evolution of horses, and their biology, behavior and care. New information has been added on horses’ earliest ancestors and some new horse breeds. Text has two levels so that caregivers can modify the information based on the age group. Unframed panels and full page spreads get a lot of information in. Gibbons’ signature brightly colored drawn cartoons show different horse breeds and gaits. Lots of related terms are included.

Gibbons’ work traditionally has skewed white, and I would have thought artwork could have been modified in this new edition to reflect more racial diversity, but it wasn’t. No sources are given.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must-have title for horse lovers, this updated version of the earlier 2003 picture book [3.5 for me!] is filled with abundant watercolor illustrations of horses grazing, running, working, and communicating with others. The accessible text provides some history of horses as well as horse lingo, various types of horses, their body parts, their need for grooming, all of which is accompanied by clear labels. Readers who are unfamiliar with horses will finish the book impressed with how important they have been to humans over the centuries. As for me, I continue to be blown away by their grace, strength, and speed. The back matter, cleverly entitled "CLIP...CLOP...CLIP...CLOP...," includes 11 thumbnail sketches with horse tidbits such as the smallest breed of horse and what a horseshoe turned with its ends up signifies.

[Christina Deroche · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book because horses are my favorite animals. My nieces also really enjoyed it and learned a lot. This book is wonderful for children who like horses. This book talks about all the many different types of people that use horses. It also explains why and how they used the horses. Cowboys-riding
Farmers-plowing
Knight-jousting


Gail Gibbons does a wonderful job with all of her books. Many of them are informative and are engaging to children. Wonderful pictures and charts to go along with the book. Gail is known for teaching children through books more than any other author.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book full of good information for my horse crazy daughters.

[Ashley Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for kids to use to find information about horses. It's vocabulary and picture diagrams make it a great resource. I would recommend it.

[CFAITC]

History and facts about horses.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written informational text.

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of information. A bit too much for a non-horse lover but my child ate up all the information. We just read a bit at a time so it didn't do an overload. Cute pictures.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great resource for children interested in horses. It covers everything from the history and use of horses to horse breads, daily life, and physiology.