Racehorse Who Learned to Dance

Charlie Bass #3

by Tony Ross

The third book in Clare Balding's brilliant series! Noble Warrior has certainly earned his he won the Derby against all odds and bested a bunch of nasty kidnappers. But now Noddy is facing his greatest challenge yet . . . Charlie's best friend Polly is still recovering from an accident that left her almost paralysed. But Polly has a real talent with horses - and she and Charlie are determined not to let it go to waste. Can the two best friends find a way to make Polly's equestrian dreams come true, and forge a new path for the racehorse who wouldn't gallop?

304 pages, Hardcover

Published October 18, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Tony Ross is a British illustrator and author of children's picture books. He was a student at the Liverpool School of Art and Design. Ross has had quite a few occupations, such as cartoonist, graphic designer, art director at an advertising agency, senior lecturer in art and head of the illustration course at Manchester Polytechnic.
Ross won the 1986 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, picture books category, for Ich komm dich holen!, (I'm coming to get you! - Andersen, 1984. He was runner-up for the 1990 Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book by a British subject, for Dr. Xargle's book of Earth Tiggers.

Meet the illustrator
What is your favourite animal?
A cat
What is your favourite boy’s name?
Bill
What is your favourite girl’s name?
Roxanne
What is your favourite food?
Lobster
What is your favourite music?
Irish
What is your favourite hobby?
Sailing

Reviews

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lovely and unusual story takes a racehorse who retired and is bored in the field, Noble Warrior, and retrains him. The farm family is thinking of having the celebrity horse open supermarkets for money, to earn his keep. But maybe dressage with a disabled young rider would be a better use of his talents. I think it's very unlikely that a young stallion would be used in this way, but that's glossed over for YA readers. There is some netball at school, but I didn't bother with those chapters. Anyway, Riding for the Disabled has a competitive show in the story, used to spot talent and give riders a chance to get used to competing. Trot on!

[Pilar González · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es una novela preciosa que recomiendo a aquellos niños con algún problema físico para que sientan que ellos también pueden hacer deporte con adaptación a sus handicaps Es una novela que destaca la importancia de la amistad la familia la generosidad y el espíritu de superación

[Peter Bomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely little book; moving and inspiring

[Christine Ottaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable children's book on a horse that went from being a racehorse to learning dressage. Lovers of horse stories will especially enjoy it.