The Horse Dreamer

by Holly Surplice

A classic in the making, The Horse Dreamer is a stunning, hopeful and poignant story about one girl and a horse who helps her rediscover the joy and life that surround us.A creature of courage and hope.A companion when you are lost.A friend when you are alone.The horse arrives in the storm, when Merryn needs him most, following the loss of her father. Sorrel is a dreamlike creature, seemingly made from the woods and the sea. Perhaps she wished him into existence. He becomes her friend and confidant.Throughout the summer and autumn, they ride and play, but as Christmas approaches, it will require all of Merryn’s newfound strength to help her mom and her sisters heal too.A stunning, hopeful, and poignant middle-grade story, written and illustrated by debut author Holly Surplice, The Horse Dreamer is a modern classic in the making.

Genres: Childrens

192 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication November 3, 2026

About the author

Holly was brought up in beautiful Dumfries & Galloway in Scotland where living on a farm nurtured a fascination and love of animals, which continues to feed her work as an artist and illustrator today. Holly’s first children’s book, Silly Jack, was inspired by the real animals that lived on the farm: Jack was a Shetland pony that used to come into the kitchen!

Since graduating from the Edinburgh College of Art, Holly has travelled to places such as Africa, Galapagos and the Amazon, returned to the beautiful Scottish borders for a time, and now owns a Dalmatian dog, Marbles. With Marbles, a love of all things spotty began, and Marbles has been a constant companion, source of inspiration and distraction ever since.
Holly now lives and works in Edinburgh with her husband Craig, Holly’s ‘greatest creation’ their young daughter Honey, and – of course – Marbles!

Holly is constantly drawing and painting and exhibits her work regularly in galleries across the country.

Of picture books, Holly says: “I love how you can develop a character and take them on a journey along with the reader through the pages of a book – the possibilities are endless!”

Reviews

[Diana Willemsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mooi verhaal, prachtige schetsen, knullig geschreven helaas.

[Hannah Rials Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 - another nature family drama, picked because it was short and has lots of illustrations, but I still really loved it! I loved the imaginary horse made of nature, the family troubles and the narrator’s voice. The family felt a bit like little women, but with a depressed mom and a sister in teen crisis.
It deals with loss and young carers very well. Just think the imaginary horse disappeared too quickly and mom’s recovery was a bit convenient. But otherwise, really grabbed my heart. Felt a bit timeless.

[Vasileios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Κάποιος με φωνάζει.
Στο άκουσμα του ήχου τα αυτιά μου τινάζοννται από δω, τινάζονται εκεί. Το καρδιοχτύπι της γης διαπερνά τις οπλές και τα πόδια μου. Είμαι φτιαγμένος από φύλλα κι ουρανό, από νερό κι αστέρια.
Ένα πλάσμα θάρρους κι ελπίδας.
Ένας σύντοφος για όταν έχεις χαθεί.
Ένας φίλος για όταν είσαι ολομόχανος.
Θα σε ακούσω όταν με φωνάξεις.
Κι όταν έρθει η καταιγίδα, θα είμαι εκεί.

[Erik B.K.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mierzoet en erg voorspelbaar, maar ik ben dan ook niet de doelgroep. Voor kinderen vast een heel spannend en fijn boek. De tekeningen zijn prachtig, vooral het stormpaard.

[Swati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly Surplice's debut novel, ‘The Horse Dreamer’ centers around Merryn, who stands at the threshold of a grief too large for words.She is grappling with the loss of her father and so is her family comprising her mum and two sisters. One night there’s a frightening storm, which was “so wild, so unpredictable, so terrifying.” But the next morning dizzying winds have ebbed away and all is calm. Merryn goes to the forest bordering the sea near her home to check on a bird’s nest she had spotted before the storm. And then Sorrel appears, a horse made of “parts of the forest” as though woven from forest undergrowth and ocean spray. Through summer and autumn, Merryn and Sorrel ride together, their bond forming the spine of a story about how we find our way back from loss. As winter approaches, Merryn must gather the strength she has gained to help her mother and sisters begin their own healing.

Written and illustrated by Surplice herself in a style that reminds me of Charles Mackesy, this middle-grade novel washes over you. The setting, the characters, and the friendship between Sorrel and Merryn feels like stardust on a page. The sinking pull that comes with grief is brought out exceptionally. Surplice does not oversimplify grief or offer easy consolations. Instead, she presents recovery as gradual and seasonal, a process requiring patience and the willingness to accept help. Even when that help arrives in unexpected forms like it did for Merryn. Sorrel and Merryn add the dreamlike, magical quality to this story while the others, especially her mother, anchor it closer to reality. Merryn's mother and sisters grieve differently, each locked in their own private struggle. And, yet, healing is never solitary. Surplice shows that grief is both intensely personal and inescapably communal. Connection, whether with animals or people, can guide us back from the darkest places.

We cannot be sure if Sorrel was dreamed into existence or is a piece of Merryn’s imagination. He neatly occupies the liminal space between reality and imagination although I was heavily wishing for him to be a real horse😄because he is just so adorable!
And visually, this book is a feast. Surplice's illustrations are soft, atmospheric, and fluid with attention to detail.

This book is intended for readers aged nine and up but ‘The Horse Dreamer’ offers wisdom for all ages. It’s also a story that treats children's emotional intelligence with respect, assuming that young readers can handle complexity, and can sit with sadness and pain. It offers hope without ever dismissing the real hurt.

I loved this book and I look forward to reading more from Surplice.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Merryn lives along the coast with her mother, older sister Lowen, and younger sister Tressa. The family is reeling from the death of the father in a storm accident at sea, and some days care of everyone falls to Lowen, since the mother is so depressed. Merryn takes solace in being outdoors, and at one point finds a horse, whom she names Sorrel. Hanging out at the beach brings up a lot of memories of her father, but she takes comfort in them. When school starts, the girls have to get their own clothes and supplies ready. Lowen cautions them not to tell anyone how bad the mother is, but Merryn begins to think that telling someone at school would b e a relief, since they might get help. Lowen has taken to wearing makeup and running with a rough crowd of boys. At one point, they taunt a neighbor's horse, Cloudy, and Merryn comes to the rescue, freeing the horse's rug from a wire fence. The neighbor, Peter, was a friend of her dad's, and the horse belongs to his daughter, Emma, who is away at school. When a storm approaches and Lowen is out running about, Merryn goes after her and ends up being locked in an abandoned caravan by the rough boys. Lowen rescues her, but the conditions on the cliff almost lead to tragedy that is averted by Sorrel's sudden presence. In the wake of this experience, the mother starts to improve, and Peter gives Cloudy to Merryn. The book is beautifully illustrated throughout in soft blue.
Strengths: Spending the summer along the sea shore, befriending a wild horse, sounds wonderful! I love that Merryn spends so much time outside, and takes such an interest in nature; Surplice's illustrations show it so nicely. The family dynamics are interesting, and poor Lowen really steps up to take care of her sisters, even if she also rebels a bit. There are some moments of suspense and danger, but this is a slower paced book that is perfect for readers who want to spend a lot of time exploring grief.
Weaknesses: The trope of a surviving parent grieving and being unable to take care of children is overdone, unhelpful, and not that interesting.
What I really think: This is a good choice for elementary readers who enjoyed poetic and heartfelt books like MacLachlan's Painting the Game or Reese's Every Bird a Prince. It was not a good fit for my middle school library.

[Nessa’s Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

What an absolutely beautiful, tender, and healing story and the illustrations? Stunning!

The Horse Dreamer is one of those middle grade books that quietly takes hold of your heart and refuses to let go.
Holly Surplice’s debut is not only emotional, but visually breathtaking. The drawings in this book are so pretty , soft, atmospheric, full of movement , they genuinely elevate the entire reading experience.

I would gift this book to any child without hesitation.

The story follows Merryn, still reeling from the loss of her father, when a mysterious, dreamlike horse named Sorrel appears to her in the midst of a storm. He feels like he’s made from wild magic, part forest, part sea, part imagination and exactly what Merryn needs in this grief stricken part of her life.

Their bond is gentle, comforting, and full of wonder. Through their rides and adventures across the changing seasons, Merryn slowly finds strength again and the courage to help her mum and sisters heal too.
This book explores grief, family, nature, and recovery in a way that is incredibly accessible for young readers while still holding deep emotional truth for older ones. It has that timeless, classic feel reminiscent of Lauren St John or Marianne Dreams, but with its own soft magic.
It’s whimsical, heart-warming, and hopeful — a perfect read for children aged 9 and up, especially as a Christmas gift. The jacketed hardback with blue-ink illustrations is gorgeous on its own, but the story inside is even more beautiful.
A modern classic in the making.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet book. As a reluctant horse girl, the love of animals and healing presence of a horse really hit home. There’s a lyrical whimsy to the prose that feeds into the included illustrations. It’s a beautiful, if but brief, approach to grief, loss, mental health, and relationships. It’s nothing extraordinary or novel, but it is beautiful.

A solid 4/5 because it skims the surface so much, it could really be any other story if it weren’t for the illustrations.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for facilitating the e-arc. It was a sweet moment out of my day to reconnect with the world around me.

[Mythical Mishmash · Rating 3 out of 5]

My only complaint is that I feel the book could have been longer. I think the pacing suffered in the second half of the book and consequently made some characters seem flat.

Also I think that Sorrel should’ve been the spirit of the girls’ dad, but that’s just a minor nitpick. I actually quite liked this book, particularly the illustrations.

[Carolienvanderwaarde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vooral de prachtige illustraties maakten dat ik dit boek wilde lezen. Het gaat wel weer over een verdrietig onderwerp, het verlies van een ouder. Voor liefhebbers van een verdrietig verhaal met toch een mooi einde.

[Lotta-Sofia Saahko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely magnificent and magical.

[Vex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un véritable baume au coeur empreint de beauté et d'espoir!

[Charlotte]

Beautiful drawings. The story was OK, like I couldn't really connect to the characters or what happened and I'm not into horses, but at least I felt sympathy.