Day and Night: The Story of Tucker and Shiloh in the Civil War

by Mattie Richardson, David Sweep (Illustrator)

Another delightful tale from Mattie Richardson, straight from the horse's mouth! This one follows Tucker and Shiloh, two young horses during the American Civil War. Young readers will certainly enjoy this story and learn a thing or two about American History while they're at it! Meticulous research promises historical accuracy in the facts spread throughout this book, and yet the end of the story will leave readers asking for more. Back text: ...The CRACK of the cannon and the Pop! of rifles...the screeching of the Rebels and yells of the Federal Soldiers are all sounds that can be heard through the fog of blue smoke... When people think about the Civil War, they tend to think that they've heard it all before. But maybe we haven't. How much do you know about the Border Wars? The women that fought in the Civil War? The homes and towns that were burned in the name of protecting people? The horses that fought just as bravely as the men? The Elephant that so many young soldiers were excited to see? Tucker and Shiloh are two young horses that were separated at the beginning of the Civil War. Though they are brothers, they are as different as day and night. But they are devastated when they are torn apart. One is sold to the US Army, while the other finds his place with a young Confederate soldier yearning for adventure. Both horses will learn so much about the Civil War and its effect on the land and the people. But will the brothers ever see each other again? More importantly, will they survive the struggle that claimed more than 600,000 souls? Both sides claim to be fighting for freedom. Only one side can win.

132 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2018

About the author

Librarian by day, Author, Fiddler, and Drummer by night.
www.appaloosybooks.com

Reviews

[Suzanne Planque · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed discovering Richardson’s Night and Day, a historical novel for children about the Civil War told by two horses, brothers who are separated and wind up on opposite sides. Tucker and Shiloh tell us their stories in the camps and battles, their distinct voices giving the reader a horse’s viewpoint on the Civil War. At times, the book was evocative of Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell, particularly when depicting the hardship the horses endured. In particular, Shiloh’s story about the punishment he received from a man who had no business training a horse reminded me of some of the painful moments Black Beauty endured.

I particularly liked the part of the book when one of the horses is learning to understand the bugle calls that give orders to march and charge. I would have liked to see more of this—it was interesting, and drew a great picture of the confusion in camp. It paints a picture for the reader of how quickly both horses and men were trained and thrown into battle.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT

I have always been interested in the history of women who served in the Civil War. I don’t feel I can say much more without possibly spoiling the book for readers, but I liked that the author included this in the story

The author obviously did a great deal of research. The story encourages readers to learn more about the Civil War. I live in NYC, but I grew up in the South. I enjoyed learning about the western states in this book, something I did not know as well. I knew the basics about “Bloody Kansas”, but Night and Day made me want to learn more about the border battles.

Reading Night and Day took me back to my own childhood. I had a “horse girl” phase, and I think Night and Day would fit nicely on the bookshelf with other horse books like Misty of Chincoteague and The Black Stallion, as well as with other historical novels for kids narrated by animals, like Ben and Me, and Mr. Revere and I. Grade school age readers should enjoy Night and Day. I know I did.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

I have a huge fan of studying the American Civil War and I was very excited to read Day and Night since it is about two horses who are involved in the Civil War. The book is written for 8 to 14 year olds but I think that older children (and adults like me) would also enjoy Day and Night especially if you like historical fiction!

The story goes back and forth between sharing the point of view of Tucker and Shiloh and their day-to-day experiences before and during the Civil War. It is set on the Western front which is interesting because most of what is out there deals primarily with the Eastern Front during the Civil War.

I recommend Day and Night for those interested in historical fiction. A good read.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a small town North Dakota girl, written from the viewpoint of two horse brothers, I had to keep reminding myself it was not a person telling the story.