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Henry
Le narrateur raconte, tout en poésie, sa rencontre journalière avec Henry, le cheval du laitier.
Une histoire touchante illustrée avec tendresse par Erin E. Stead, récipiendaire d’un prix Caldecott.
Une histoire touchante illustrée avec tendresse par Erin E. Stead, récipiendaire d’un prix Caldecott.
36 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
September 28, 2017
The story of Tony the horse, told in free verse, is ordinary. But Erin Stead's illustrations are worth the price of the book. You don't see a lot of illustrations like this in children's books anymore (as I constantly lament).
February 21, 2017
Quite possibly the best picture book Erin Stead has illustrated to date. Truly breathtaking.
March 17, 2017
Definitely in the running for Caldecott 2018. For some reason, this one made me cry a little. Just a smidge. It is so beautifully illustrated and speaks to the memory of connection you can feel with an animal.
March 17, 2017
The illustrations are amazing! I kept thinking that my fingers would smudge the drawings as I read the book.
May 23, 2019
Told in free verse, Tony depicts the love the narrator has for his horse, Tony. With Stead's usual wistful and misty illustrations, she and Galing perfectly capture the feeling of a chilly, foggy morning and the sleepy feeling one has while carrying out expected tasks. And, like a beacon, Tony stands white and tall, signaling strength and endurance. A calm, peaceful book. Great for grades K-2.
Review cross-listed here!
Review cross-listed here!
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November 23, 2016Just lovely.
March 19, 2017
This book is lovely, it truly is. The illustrations are breathtaking. The text is nice as well, but the illustrations overtake the story. I don't really even know who I would read this to.
February 17, 2018
So very beautiful. Erin Stead's illustrations are some of my favorites.
January 6, 2022
Beautiful illustrations a lovely book
August 13, 2023
Beautiful illustrations!
March 1, 2017
A free-verse poem recounts a nostalgic, early-morning visit with Tony, a gentle white horse who pulls the milk truck. I like how the poem quietly unfolds, waiting until the book is halfway-over to even reveal the first-person narration, and Stead's muted illustrations are lovely. I like the poem and I like the illustrations, but I kind of like them better separately; I'm having a little trouble imagining the audience for this picture book.
May 16, 2017
A nostalgic poem introduces young readers to the long bygone era of horse drawn wagon dairy delivery, focusing on the narrator’s admiration for the horse that pulled the cart. The picture book format physically extends this gentle poem by spreading it out, with only a line or several lines per page, which helps slow a reader’s pace appropriately for the tone of the poem. Galing’s poem pairs perfectly with Stead’s ethereal illustrations. A translucent page before the title page signals a visual symbol of memory clouded by time. Erin Stead doesn’t shy away from blank space, especially when focusing on a specific moment of a memory (e.g of the eggs and milk) but then using the full page spread for more general moments such as Tony’s movement through the street. Yellow light shines accurately in the nighttime, shining from the barn and street lamps and then spreading as the sun rises. Stead captures Tony the horse perfectly in every pose, movement, and close-up. Readers will join the narrator in admiring Tony, pulling the milk cart. This beautifully illustrated poem is highly recommended for ages four to eight.
February 28, 2017
A beautiful book that gives you the warm fuzzies. The story is about a work horse, Tony, that comes to life through beautiful sketches. Would be better with one-on-one because the book is small and readers need to be close to appreciate the illustrations.
May 9, 2017
Tony is an ordinary white horse who draws a milk wagon, but his early morning visits are anything but ordinary to the narrator, who makes sure to say hello to him and his driver. As always, Erin Stead's artwork is simple and gorgeous.
October 31, 2017
I don't know why, but this book makes me sweetly happy, but it also makes me want to cry. Also, the close-up of the horse's eye on the page starting "it was early in the morning" may be the prettiest illustration I've ever seen.
November 21, 2017
I read "Tony," written by Ed Galing and illustrated by Erin E. Stead, as a possible 2018 Caldecott contender. I give this a 4 for concept text and a 5 for illustrations (definitely worthy of Caldecott consideration).
"Tony" is the simple story of a work horse named "Tony" and his day spent pulling a wagon and delivering milk, eggs, and butter. In terms of text and story, "Tony" is sparse, simple, almost silent. It is historically interesting and might appeal to animal lovers. However, I am not sure how appealing it will be to intended readers.
One of my very favorite picture books from 2016 was "The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles," also illustrated by Erin E. Stead. Again, Stead's pencil and Gomuban monoprinting is clean, simple, and impeccable. It is extremely quiet and calming. (This effect could have appeal for parents as a bedtime story, for teachers to settle the group, etc.)
I enjoyed "Tony," but I think its appeal may be limited.
"Tony" is the simple story of a work horse named "Tony" and his day spent pulling a wagon and delivering milk, eggs, and butter. In terms of text and story, "Tony" is sparse, simple, almost silent. It is historically interesting and might appeal to animal lovers. However, I am not sure how appealing it will be to intended readers.
One of my very favorite picture books from 2016 was "The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles," also illustrated by Erin E. Stead. Again, Stead's pencil and Gomuban monoprinting is clean, simple, and impeccable. It is extremely quiet and calming. (This effect could have appeal for parents as a bedtime story, for teachers to settle the group, etc.)
I enjoyed "Tony," but I think its appeal may be limited.
July 14, 2017
This is kind of a dreamy, half-waking atmosphere of past and present at the corners of my childhood memories of loving horses and loving children's picture books. In a way, it reminds me of one of my all time favorites, "Play With Me" by Marie Hall Ets: simple lines, limited color palette, emphasis of thinking instead of doing. Learning without being taught.
"Tony" is a child's version of historical fiction, and I would love to visit those old city streets when the milk was still delivered house to house. Galing's illustrations are clean, evocative, spare. There's breathtaking closeup of the horse's eye that sends you right to the heart of the matter, the narrator and the horse are of the same mind and spirit. Yet this isn't fantasy or spiritual, it's a sweet little child size memoir about a bygone era and a favorite fellow creature.
"Tony" is a child's version of historical fiction, and I would love to visit those old city streets when the milk was still delivered house to house. Galing's illustrations are clean, evocative, spare. There's breathtaking closeup of the horse's eye that sends you right to the heart of the matter, the narrator and the horse are of the same mind and spirit. Yet this isn't fantasy or spiritual, it's a sweet little child size memoir about a bygone era and a favorite fellow creature.
January 14, 2022
The illustrations and quiet color pallet are exquisite.
I love the velum title page.
A March 15, 2017 review in the New Yorker quotes Erin Stead “It’s a really loud world out there,” Stead told me recently. “And this is a quiet little postage stamp of a piece of art.”
There's more ... Stead volunteered at a horse rescue and hopes to have her own one day. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/sar...
This is a book to look at again and again, and again.
"Tony" is a poem by Ed Galing.
Ed Galing: A Poet of the Greatest Generation
"The late Ed Galing was born in 1917, spent his early years in the Lower East Side of New York City, and is a widely published poet."
I love the velum title page.
A March 15, 2017 review in the New Yorker quotes Erin Stead “It’s a really loud world out there,” Stead told me recently. “And this is a quiet little postage stamp of a piece of art.”
There's more ... Stead volunteered at a horse rescue and hopes to have her own one day. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/sar...
This is a book to look at again and again, and again.
"Tony" is a poem by Ed Galing.
Ed Galing: A Poet of the Greatest Generation
"The late Ed Galing was born in 1917, spent his early years in the Lower East Side of New York City, and is a widely published poet."
January 24, 2025
This lovely book, currently available at The Internet Archive, is a prose poem about a boy's memories of the local milkman's horse. It's very short, but beautiful. The funny thing is that a more famous poet, Charles Bukowski, also wrote a lovely poem about milk wagon horses. Just something about milk wagon horses.
Tony is not a traditionally beautiful horse. He's drawn as a normal horse with conformation flaws in his back and hindquarters by Caldecott-winning artist Erin E. Stead. She did give Tony a handsome, if plain (or plainly handsome) head. A small child would most likely focus on the head and not see the flaws. I'm glad that Stead drew a normal horse instead of the usual beautiful or "correct" one.
It's no shame to look normal.
Tony is not a traditionally beautiful horse. He's drawn as a normal horse with conformation flaws in his back and hindquarters by Caldecott-winning artist Erin E. Stead. She did give Tony a handsome, if plain (or plainly handsome) head. A small child would most likely focus on the head and not see the flaws. I'm glad that Stead drew a normal horse instead of the usual beautiful or "correct" one.
It's no shame to look normal.
February 29, 2020
A quiet, slow book that features a drawn-out ode to the local milk delivery horse. Even though we never see the narrator, one can imagine a young person being so excited to greet Tony the horse each day. And even as a reader, you can practically touch Tony due to the depth of these illustrations.
The Steads have become quite adept at reaching back through time to commune with dead authors (See: The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine) and bring older, quieter stories to vivid life.
The Steads have become quite adept at reaching back through time to commune with dead authors (See: The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine) and bring older, quieter stories to vivid life.
July 20, 2017
Back in the old, old, old days....
Soft illustrations done in Gomuban monoprinting and pencil support the sparse text. Yellow brings the readers eye to focus on certain points, such as the barn door. Text is set on the mostly empty left hand page with the illustration on the right - sometimes spilling onto the left page a bit. The title page is cleverly done as an opaque page, and when it is turned, the title appears as the first word in the story.
Horse lovers will simply want to reach out their hand and stroke Tony's big white broad face! I know I did!
Soft illustrations done in Gomuban monoprinting and pencil support the sparse text. Yellow brings the readers eye to focus on certain points, such as the barn door. Text is set on the mostly empty left hand page with the illustration on the right - sometimes spilling onto the left page a bit. The title page is cleverly done as an opaque page, and when it is turned, the title appears as the first word in the story.
Horse lovers will simply want to reach out their hand and stroke Tony's big white broad face! I know I did!
August 16, 2017
Erin Stead's lovingly handcrafted illustrations perfectly accompany the deep nostalgic devotion and love the narrator expresses for the equine Tony, and metonymically, a time long past. The limited color palette (warm yellow and minty green) printed over pencil sketches heighten the bright anticipation of the narrator (whom readers never see on the page) as they wait for the wagon Tony pulls to deliver milk & eggs each morning. An exceptional book to share with young readers who have a special animal in their life (or want one)!
October 27, 2017
This story is about a horse named Tony, whom the author is close to. It is a poem that is written to describe Tony so that the readers can get to know him. This book has beautiful illustrations, but I feel it would not be the best resource for students as it may be slightly too advance for young children as it could not be engaging with them. If I used this, I would use it when teaching poetry, because we do not often see poetry written in a full children's story so I think it would be great for that resource.
May 30, 2017
A free verse poem about a milk horse and his daily visit with one of the customers.
A simple poem about a (then) every day encounter. It's short and simple but still manages to have heart and tenderness. Stead's illustrations are gorgeous and match the tenderness of the poem. It's a good reminder that even simple, everyday encounters can have importance and meaning for people. Recommended for horse lovers.
A simple poem about a (then) every day encounter. It's short and simple but still manages to have heart and tenderness. Stead's illustrations are gorgeous and match the tenderness of the poem. It's a good reminder that even simple, everyday encounters can have importance and meaning for people. Recommended for horse lovers.
November 26, 2017
11/24/2017 ** A poem about the bygone days of milk delivery and the steady devotion of the horse that draws the cart. the line sketches by Erin Stead add to the sense of peace in the early morning. The poem and illustrations work well together.
Though this was discussed early (August) as a potential Caldecott and was on a few lists, I chose not to include it in the books my students will consider. It didn't seem to have enough appeal to children.
Though this was discussed early (August) as a potential Caldecott and was on a few lists, I chose not to include it in the books my students will consider. It didn't seem to have enough appeal to children.
January 16, 2018
The four stars are for Erin Stead's amazing pencil illustrations with the muted monoprinted backgrounds in light green, a warm yellow, and black...or just lots of white. The book designer has favored us with such generous white space for the illustrations and spare text to find their space in. Both author and illustrator clearly love the horse and have used this very traditional style to express that--the closeup to the horse's eyes and bridle shines.
January 31, 2022
This is a small, lovely book about how things were in yesteryear. It is a poem about meeting a sturdy, gentle horse each morning as he makes deliveries accompanied by lovely illustrations. There isn't much text so this could be a book shared with even very small horse lovers that could lead to a conversation about one of the things horses used to do long ago.
I added this to my "cozy" shelf because it's soft, like the first light of dawn that is just begging to rise within its pages.
I added this to my "cozy" shelf because it's soft, like the first light of dawn that is just begging to rise within its pages.
February 10, 2023
Absolutely beautiful book. Illustrations are stunning. The words are simple, but evoke a strong sense of tenderness and respect for Tony, the horse. The simplicity of the words reflect a nostalgia for a time that seemed simpler to the narrator. I think I read that the words are actually from a poem written years ago. The combination of words and illustrations is magical. I could hear the sound of the horse's hooves trotting, happy and relaxed against the gravel.
May 28, 2017
Simple poem written by a man now gone. Born in 1917, Ed Galing grew up in NYC when the milkman still delivered eggs, milk, and butter to your doorstep. This is his tribute to the horse who worked pulling the milk wagon through the quiet streets at three in the morning. Non-rhyming poem. No punctuation except a few commas.
May 31, 2017
Extremely charming little story about a horse that pulls a milk delivery cart. Erin Stead's illustrations are just lovely. The story behind this book is incredible and worth reading about. Erin Stead found this poem in a newspaper, finally tracked down the author only to learn he had died. The writing in the book is Galing's, published posthumously. Just a neat story of inspiration.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews