Gigi: The Story of a Merry-Go-Round Horse

by Elizabeth Foster

This children's classic, first published in 1943, relates the travels and adventures of a carousel horse. Gigi is the favorite horse of the children who ride the carousel in the Prater in old Vienna. When WWI breaks out, the carousel is dismantled and Gigi finds himself on his way to a small merry-go-round in Paris. Further adventures take him to London and eventually to America. On each carousel, Gigi forms strong friendships with children whom he dearly misses when he is forced to move on. (Of course carousel horses can talk with children who have not yet outgrown the saddle). The story ends with a happy surprise that will delight the young readers who have also befriended this special merry-go-round horse.

Although it is a children's story, it is one for anyone to enjoy who can still remember holding serious conversations with a favorite carousel horse.

Genres: Childrens

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1943

About the author

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

Elizabeth Foster, daughter of Maximilian Foster (a writer/playwright) and Elizabeth Dickson, born 1905, was an U.S. writer and editor.

Reviews

[taytum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book randomly at a book market in Boston last summer with an address and name written on the inside “for Mary Anne Damon”, I looked up the house and it was nearby, and she’s probably much older than me now, but I thought it was really cool to see that someone else was gifted this book and considered that while reading. For starters, the artwork is beautiful, I have nothing to compare it to but I almost wish the entire book was in color. I enjoyed reading even as a 19 year old, I feel like I didn’t appreciate my books enough when I was the age this was intended for, and I hope I have a daughter or niece I can read this to one day. Also I wish I experienced the merry-go-rounds with the golden rings so bad wtf unfair

[virginialeesmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Circa 1943. My grandmother use to read this to me as a kid. Partly because it is about a carousel horse and partly because it is about WWII. Ie, when WWII breaks out, Gigi dismantled from the carousel and bummed out over the invading nazis..

[David]

This is my daughter's favorite book.

It's about the wonder in children's eyes, and what we lose as we (alas!) grow up. I always wanted to grow up. My girls knew childhood was a good deal, and didn't want to grow up, at least not quickly.

Quite poignant.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I remember reading and loving as a child.