Mary On Horseback: Three Mountain Stories: Three Mountain Stories

by Rosemary Wells, Peter McCarty (Illustrator)

In 1923, there were no doctors or hospitals in the isolated mountains of Appalachia. Then Mary Breckinridge came. Trained as a nurse, she made the Appalachians her life's work-fording icy streams and climbing untracked mountains to bring medical help to those in need. These three stories, told in simple, luminous prose, bring to life the birth of the Frontier Nursing Service, which still operates in Kentucky. Mary On Horseback shows yet another side of Rosemary Wells-one of today's most versatile authors.

"These beautifully written stories will remain with the reader long after the book is closed." - Booklist , starred review

"A compelling little book that might well cause some children of this overabundant age to consider their blessings...." - The Horn Book , starred review



( Winner of the Christopher Award
( A Horn Book Fanfare Book
( A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
( A Smithsonian Notable Book for Children

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Biography, American History, Short Stories, Historical

53 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

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

Rosemary Wells is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. She often uses animal characters to address real human issues. Some of her most well-known characters are Max & Ruby and Timothy from Timothy Goes To School (both were later adapted into Canadian-animated preschool television series, the former’s airing on Nickelodeon (part of the Nick Jr. block) and the latter’s as part of PBS Kids on PBS).

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The three so-called mountain stories presented in and by Rosemary Wells' Mary on Horseback do not only show the fierce and loving, caring determination and fortitude of Mary Breckenridge and her "army" of nurses on horseback, no they also present both how difficult it was to actually convince the often highly religious and at times much superstitious residents of rural Appalachia that inoculations and other aspects of modern medicine were important, were necessary and life-saving and also, that sometimes, it was not even something necessarily medicinal that was needed and required to provide aid and increased safety measures (like in the third and final story, where Mary purchases loads of child sized overalls to distribute to Appalachian girls so that they will not be so much in danger of burning themselves tending cooking fires whilst wearing flimsy cotton dresses that could easily catch a spark and go up in flames, with painful, disfiguring, sometimes lethal results).

Now while I have both massively enjoyed reading about Mary Breckenridge, I do find it rather frightening and really and truly infuriatingly saddening that there are actually quite a number of vehemently negatively ranting reviews of Mary on Horseback present online, most of them accusing the author, accusing Rosemary Wells of trying to promote a pro-vaccination attitude in children and society (in other words, these reviews of Mary on Horseback, clearly penned by ignorant and moronically dangerous anti-vaxxers, seem to think that inoculating children against dread diseases with high mortality rates such as diphtheria, whooping cough, smallpox, polio and the like, is somehow not acceptable and appropriate, and seemingly akin to what the "teacher" in the second story claims, that vaccinations are supposedly the work of the Devil). And while I can definitely and to a certain point understand the rural Appalachian farmers, coal miners, loggers of the early 20th century (the mountain born and bred characters featured and presented in Mary on Horseback) having qualms, being a bit and sometimes even more than a bit suspicious and superstitious (and I do so much love, how it is presented by the author that it is often the children and the women, the mothers, who act as supports to the nurses, who help Mary Breckenridge and her nurses fight against said suspicions and superstitions), the fact that there are currently and presently an increasing and evermore vocal group of vehement anti-vaccination individuals in especially the United States and Canada, does make me cringe (because these at best naive individuals obviously do not in any way possess even a smidgen of common sense, for otherwise, they would realise that without vaccinations, we would still have polio, diphtheria, smallpox and other such deadly epidemics, that vaccinations are and have been both a boon and a necessary godsend in the fight against communicable, spreadable diseases, diseases that used to both kill many and also left others with scars and chromic health issues even after recovery).

Now while I thus do very and most highly recommend Mary on Horseback to and for older children above the age of about eight or so (a very quick and easy read, with vocabulary choices that are not only age appropriate but also do not contain too much dialect and slang, which while it would perhaps give Mary on Horseback more local colour and a sense of geographic place, could also make the stories a bit difficult to read, especially for children just learning independent reading or children whose first language might not be English), I do offer the necessary caveat that the three stories are raw in nature, and do feature both illness and death (not described in any type of lurid or gratuitously horrid detail, but the fact remains that Mary Breckenridge and her nurses had to often and even generally deal with real and/or potential tragedies, with illness, with accidents, with pain and suffering, and while I for one am glad that Mary on Horseback features and presents these scenarios gracefully but nevertheless realistically, very sensitive children might well find some if not many of the themes and stories presented and depicted as potentially upsetting).

And finally, please do note that I am rating this book (these three stories) according to the narrative presented, and Rosemary Wells' text makes Mary Breckenridge appear as a very caring and inherently positive, laudable person (and therefore while I have read online that Ms. Breckenridge was supposedly somewhat of a racist and also kind of against midwifery and home births, this really never does come through, this really is not in any manner ever portrayed or mentioned in Mary on Horseback, and I am also not in any way sure what is genuine fact with regard to this information and what is innuendo and trash talking).

[Christiane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Breckinridge was a well-born young woman who might have lived out an uneventful life as a wife and mother. Instead, after suffering tremendous personal losses, she became a nurse, serving first in France in World War I, and later founding the Frontier Nursing Service, bringing much needed health care into the isolated Appalachian Mountains. This short book, based on true accounts, tells the stories of three families whose lives were forever changed thanks to Mary. This would be a wonderful introductory book for a report on a remarkable woman, or a lesson on compassion and how one person can truly change the world.

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very short little story about a woman who had really lived and had gone on to be a nurse to the very poor people living in the mountains of Kentucky. These people were dying on disease and injuries as they had no medical care so she would travel to them via horse. And then she put ads to get more nurses to join her.

There is even a photo of her on her horse way at the back of the book.

I did enjoy these stories...but a few things had confused me too. Like the very first story about the man with the badly injured leg. How did she know that she was needed? The story had not explained that part. I am sure the Kentucky mountains must be a huge area (?) and yet somehow she knew that in that particular spot she was needed? The family hadn't even known who she was. And there weren't any phones or anything.. So it makes me ponder how she knew. Also why was he standing on those logs going down the river? I do recall seeing old paintings of that sort of thing at my grandparents house but I never understood why the men do that.

The second story was about shots to prevent illnesses or cure them. The bit I found most interesting in this one was a young woman riding a horse who had never rode one before! And her body was stiff with fear! And then oops! Ha! You will have to read it to find out! But I was more interested in the young nurse's lack of horsemanship skills than her quest to jab arms with needles.

The third was about a young little girl who didn't want to talk after a bad incident. So the nurse takes her in and starts teaching her skills. By now, the head nurse (Mary) who was indeed a skilled horsewoman, had suffered an accident which just shows than anyone who works with horses can get thrown. This one shows with time you can recover.

I don't know if it's the holiday or what (tomorrow is Thanksgiving) but seeing that black & white photo of Mary on her horse brought some wetness to my eyes. She went out to help poor people just because she wanted to.

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three stories illuminate Mary Breckridge and her ministry through the stories of people she served. I found it helpful that the stories are told by both male and female characters and include lots of children. An excellent afterword gives a brief biography. Historical/ biographical stories are valuable for young children in exemplifying the character we are seeking for them to develop. These stories in particular are helpful in creating a sense of gratitude.

Two cautions:
1) Austere living conditions and issues of life and death may be a bit much for sensitive children. At 53 pages, it's not a long read for teachers to preview.
2) While there is a Christian perspective to this work, and we see Christianity lived out through Mary's action, this is not a preachy book. That is a general advantage. However, in Chapter 3 "Ireland of Scotland," a father and mother have an argument in which the father misuses faith (God will protect us) to avoid something of which he is afraid (needles & immunizations). Children could probably benefit from either some edited reading or explanation.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction for preschoolers to harder conditions and lack of medical care. My 6 year old now wants to be a nurse and travel around starting hospitals in the mountains.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't resist buying this book at a gift shop at a coal mining town. As it's a short read, I consumed it on the ride home.

This book reminded me of Catherine Marshall's "Christy," as both were about people who came to work with the impoverished people in Appalachia. Christy was a school teacher; Mary Breckinridge was a nurse who started the Frontier Nursing Service. Mary came into situations where there were no medical supplies or training, and saved as many lives as she could. These short stories were heart-warming and well told, but as in her real life, not everyone survived.

Mary herself turned her own grief at losing two children, and two husbands into fuel for the compassionate work that she did.

I am going to guess that Breckinridge County was named for her or for her family.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in about an hour. A little too intense for my 7 year old daughter right now. Would love to read it with her when she is a few years older, maybe age 10. Includes stories about parents, babies dying and being sick. Very inspiring stories of courageous women, young and old.

[Andrea Ott · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this book for history class and my 5/6 year old was amazingly interested. Great story even for adults;)

[Rebekah Barkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud to Judson—simple and short, yet it moved me to tears in its simplicity and humanity. I never knew this true story about Mary Breckinridge, nurse to the people of the Appalachian mountains. It’s fun learning alongside my son. 🙂

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I want to read more about Mary Breckinridge and her work with Frontier Nursing Services. Amazing work she did. We (my children and I) were totally engaged by this short collection of stories.

I also only knew Rosemary Wells for being a writer of children's picture books.

[Jordan Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

When she comes to our door, a line of bats skims over her head but she doesn't pay them any mind, so I know she isn't a mincy city lady.

This short book tells the story of Mary Breckinridge, a frontier nurse who was the first to give medical care to the isolated locals of Kentucky's Appalachian Mountains.
The book is laid out in three different parts, each telling a different story from varying points of view.

The first is told by John, a young boy whose father, an expert logger, has been injured in a logging accident. When Mary comes to treat him, John admits to her his dream of growing up to be a logger one day, just like his father. He worries that the woman might discourage him, but instead she encourages him to become whatever he wants, and shares her own dreams of one day building a hospital there in the mountains.

The second tale is about a young woman who is writing to apply for Mary Breckinridge's wanted ad for nurses. The newspaper clipping is included in the book, and I have to say, it sounded so enticing, I'm sure I would have determinedly signed up myself if I had been alive in those times.
It read:

ATTENTION! Nurse graduates with a sense of adventure! Your own horse, your own dog, and a thousand miles of Kentucky mountains to serve. Join my nurses' bridge and help save children's lives.

The ad is answered by Margaret Ireland, a young nurse currently working in Glasgow, but feeling without purpose, more like "a parlor maid" who must never ask questions of the male doctors. Within a few months, she is riding through the mountains treating patients with Mary.

The final story follows a young girl named Pearl, whose mother has recently passed away. She ends up staying in Mary's hospital, and helping her in her work.

The writing style of this book has far more depth and beauty than one might expect from a children's book, lending itself perfectly to the setting of the deep mountains. Recommended.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written book telling three stories taken from the archives of the Frontier Nursing Service, a program that was founded in 1923 by a woman named Mary Breckenridge. According to the author's notes, Mary Breckenridge grew up in wealth and privilege in Kentucky. Following a series of personal tragedies, she trained as a nurse, and went to France after WW1 to provide care to civilians who were suffering after the war. She returned to Kentucky determined to bring modern health care to the most isolated pockets of Appalachia. It would not surprise me if this was a somewhat sugar-coated version of the history, but reading this slim little volume makes me want to go and learn more about the Frontier Nursing Service. It seems highly likely that it was the model for Eleanor Roosevelt's Pack Horse Library Service a decade later.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very simple series of three vignettes. In 1920s Appalachia, there was only folk medicine available to care for those inflicted with heinous injuries or epidemic disease. Into this maelstrom of illness rode Mary, a determined nurse, with big plans to bring vaccines, nurses, and a hospital to the area.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple book containing 3 stories that show the heart that Mary Breckinridge had for the Appalachian people. Easy to read, but does a great job of showing the realistic struggles in a way that children can understand. Great for homeschool and young chapter book readers.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Older children's book about nursing. Good stories!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids and I enjoyed the stories in this book and reading about Mary Breckinridge. I just wish there were more stories in the book!

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an inspiring story -- I don't remember hearing about Mary Breckinridge before, but this is a great introduction to her work, written in three short stories that also help give children a picture of what this time period and region were like.

After losing two husbands and two children, Mary Breckinridge could have given in to despair, but instead she gave her skills and her life to help others, the poorest of the poor. Whether she is saving a father's leg from amputation, inoculating children against deadly diseases, or delivering and caring for babies, Breckinridge and her team of frontier nurses served the people in the Appalachian region and helped them in ways no one else would or could.

Update: This was from Sonlight's Core A, but I thought it was beyond my 5-year-old at the time, so I put it off until 4th grade (1st grade for my daughter) when we came back to post-WWI America in history, and I'm glad I did. I think they got a lot more out of it, being older, and we could put it in more historical context, plus the discussion about inoculations was timely considering my kids just got their Covid vaccines.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tells three stories about Mary Breckinridge's nursing services to the family of Appalachia during the early twentieth century. I bought the book a long time ago, but when I flipped through it I immediately realized it was too graphic to read my young son. 　I have waited until now to read it to him. Some of the most graphic:
A man gets his leg crushed in the first story.
A mother dies in childbirth during the last story and her older daughter won't talk afterwards. (My son wondered why she wouldn't talk....)
Miscellaneous talk about children dying, diseases, fever, needles, vaccines and so on. So not for sensitive children!

The book is VERY slim, even though it is a chapter book. It takes less than an hour to read.

Editted to add: Somebody else mentioned in a review about the Christian slant. Honestly　I don't think there is a Christian slant at all. I don't think anything is mentioned of Mary Breckinridge's religious affiliations. I think one Appalachian man talks very briefly about putting faith in God--but honestly, what do we expect him to say?

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a part of our homeschool curriculum for our read aloud, I really enjoyed this for the level it is written at and for whom it is written. Of course the children didn't much enjoy a book about free inoculations, but I do hope that it shed light on the importance for proper healthcare for them and why we do give them vaccines, visit the doctor, eat well, etc. Beautiful and concise biography on Mary Breckenridge and the sacrifice she made to take care of the people in the mountains.

Concisely written and age appropriate. Would recommend for 1st grade - 3rd grade as a read aloud. Perhaps as a book report for 3rd grade.

[Jill Hearn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my 6 year old son. It’s an inspiring read of dedicated women nurses who were willing to ride horses in rough terrain to help the poor and sick families in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky.

[Catherine Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary's grandfather, Confederate General John C. Breckenridge, served as vice-president under U.S. President James Buchanan. Her father served as American minister to Russia. Mary was born, educated, and married in privilege, but she suffered the losses of two husbands and two children. In her grief, she became a nurse to save the lives of children, eventually founding the Frontier Nursing Service to improve the health and lives of the mountain people of Appalachian Kentucky.

These three sweet vignettes show the hardship and poverty of mountain life and the difficulties Mary and her nurses encountered trying to change the bleak futures of these mountain folk.
A family story impressed on me how true-to-life this little book is. My grandmother's sister sometimes had "fits." Her little brother's job was to stand ready in the kitchen to pull her out if she had a seizure and fell into the fire as she tended it. Apparently, he had to spring into action several times. Mary ordered overalls for the young girls in the community because so many were burned when their dresses caught fire.

This book would be a wonderful addition to a homeschool history curriculum.

[Emily]

The kids and I enjoyed this short read aloud about the origins and early days of the Frontier Nurses Corps during the 1920s in rural Appalachia. I love a good excuse to learn more about Appalachian history and this definitely fit the bill. I had no idea that nurses rode on horseback to remote areas of Kentucky and surrounding areas to provide much needed medical care. It’s a wonder how many people had limbs amputated because they didn’t know you could set a bone. That was probably the most surprising takeaway for all of us, as well as the sheer number of children (especially girls) who died due to severe burns because the cooking fire would ignite their dresses on fire. We learned that Mary Breckinridge (founder of the corps) and her team in turn made efforts to provide overalls to all girls in their area to prevent this type of tragedy.

As an aside, Mary Breckinridge would be a fantastic person for students to do further study on in the future. Her biography at the end was both interesting and inspiring.

[Aisley Faust · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a young woman named Mary Breckinridge who was a nurse. Mary saved countless peoples lives (or limbs.) In the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky things are not in the twentieth century. They don't have hospitals, medicines, radios, airplanes, or any other kinds of twentieth century technology. Mary takes it as her responsibility to take care of these behind times people. She brings advanced medicines to the people and teaches the uneducated children she comes across. She brings a brigade of nurses to help her out and even starts a hospital. That hospital and the bringing of those medicines were Mary's life goal, and dream. On May 16, 1965, Mary left a legacy behind her when she passed away. Mary was not a widely known hero but know that I know what she has done for so many people she is one of my heroes.

[Ruthe Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful find, a great short read that I won't soon forget. It consists of three stories based on true accounts in the life of Mary Breckenridge. She had the funds, the family, and several heartbreaking reasons to live out her life in luxury and grief. Instead she looked beyond herself and became a nurse. She first served with the American Nurses' corps during World War 1 in France, where the corps helped rescue over 10,000 homeless, starving war children. Coming back to Kentucky, she started the Frontier Nursing Service to help the desperately poor rural families with their medical needs, going from home to home on horseback. Her little organization grew large and famous over time and is still providing nurses, especially focused on delivery healthy babies.

[Georgene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It is a very short book. Only 52 pages. My reading ability has slowed down a lot, so 52 pages is about my capacity at this point in time.

All three stories have to do with a nurse who started a medical service in the Appalachia Mountains after World War I. Equipped with a horse and an assembly of basic medicines, she wanders through the hills and hallows to tend to the medical needs of the population.

The people who live there are mostly illiterate and are uninformed in regards to the outside world. Their lives are very simple.

There's no sense of superiority from the nurses who tend to the needs of the population. What they do is truly a labor of love.

I ran across this book on Amazon. I'm glad I purchased this book!

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tragedy of Mary Breckenridge's losses led her on a remarkable journey of helping the very poorest populations of the Appalachian Mountain regions gain access to advanced medicine. This book had significant potential as a historical biography but, in my opinion, fell short. There were so many gaps in the story and so much more that could have been explained and documented about this amazing woman, the people she served and the impact she made. Perhaps a few more short stories would have helped it out.

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read-Aloud: Wren, Willow

Everything about Mary's life inspires me: from her deep and compassionate faith, to her sacrificial motherhood, to her committed singleness. I want a life that, in some way, resembles hers. We were all incredibly moved by this stories and they got my girls talking about taking up medical missions someday. I am (slowly) now reading "Wide Neighborhoods," Mary's memoirs.

[Jamey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beyond excellent children’s book. It is simply, but beautifully written, with 3 mountain stories that inform and inspire young ones to pursue a more noble path in life. They tell pieces of Mary Breckinridge’s story: a woman who pioneered and established nursing services in the mountains of Kentucky. The stories are tragic and meaningful, bringing tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart. I highly recommend this book.

[Nichole]

This was fascinating! Besides the Daniel Boone book that I reviews last week, this is the only book that our library has that is based in or about someone from Kentucky. I'm so glad I found it! On the shelf, it didn't look very promising, but it is such an interesting collection of short stories about the life and work of Mary Breckinridge. I'm looking forward to sharing it with students! (Bonus find-- the middle story is about getting/ trusting a vaccine!)

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart touching read of an amazing woman. During World War I Mary Breckinridge headed into the mountains of Appalachia to bring her nursing skills to a place they were desperately needed. Mary gets other nurses to join and starts a service for all. This is a great story of courage, love and compassion that adds in great adventure along the way.