Galloping Great Reads - Books Starring Horses

Picture Books | Chapter Books | Series | Non-Fiction

Picture Books

The Girl On The High-Diving Horse High
Linda Oatman. E Oatman
Eight-year-old Ivy Cordelia spends the summer of 1936 in Atlantic City with her photographer father, and dreams of being the girl who perches on a horse as it dives into a tank of water.

Appaloosa Zebra : A Horse Lover's Alphabet
Haas, Jessie E Haas
Moving through the alphabet, a girl ponders the many different kinds of horses she will have when she gets older, from Appaloosa to zebra.

Mustang Canyon
London , Jonathan E London
A young mustang is separated from its mother when a plane sweeps over the canyon and the horses run from the noise.

When Wishes Were Horses
Addy, Sharon E Addy
On a hot, dusty day as Zeb is walking home from the general store, he wishes for a horse, but soon his one horse grows into a snorting, stamping herd.

Widdermaker
Schnetzler, Pattie L. E Schnetzler
The efforts of Cowpoke Pete and his pony, Desert Rose, to tame Widdermaker, the meanest, low-downest bull the West has ever seen, have unexpected and very pleasant results.

Winter Pony
Ruepp, Krista. E Ruepp
Although her father assures her that the herd takes care of its members and her grandmother reminds her of mountain spirits' watchfulness, Anna worries while her pony is in the summer pasture.

John and Tom
Lange, Willem, 1935- E Lange
When John has an accident while cutting logs in the Vermont woods, Tom, the Morgan horse who is his work partner and friend, uses intelligence and strength to rescue him.
SERIES The family heritage series

Marvin The Tap Dancing Horse
Paraskevas, Betty E Paraskevas
Marvin, a tap-dancing horse in a small traveling carnival, finds success and fame on Broadway but misses his friends from the old life.

Horsefly
Hoffman, Alice E Hoffman
Jewel is afraid of everything until her grandfather gives her a special horse to raise, a small horse with the ability to fly.

The Girl who Loved Wild Horses
Goble, Paul E Goble
Though she is fond of her Native American people, a girl prefers to live among the wild horses where she is truly happy and free.

A Is For Amos
Chandra, Deborah E Chandra
A rider on Amos goes around the farm and back home to the barn finding all the letters of the alphabet.

All The Pretty Little Horses: A Traditional Lullaby
E All
A traditional lullaby presented with music, a note on the origin of the song, and pastel illustrations which reflect its possible connection to slaves in the American South.

Iron Horses
Kay, Verla E Kay
Illustrations and simple rhyming text depict the race to construct railroads across the country during the second half of the nineteenth century.

O'Sullivan Stew
Talbott, Hudson E Talbott
When the witch of Crookhaven, a village on the zigzagging coast of Ireland, has her horse stolen by the King and strikes back with famine and disaster, Kate decides to save the day by getting the horse back for her.

Bronco Busters
Herzig, Alison Cragin E Herzig
Three rough, tough bronco busters can't tame a little black pony, but a small, quiet cowboy talks to him and brings him water, and then quietly rides away with him.

Winter Shoes For Shadow Horse
High, Linda Oatman. E High
A memorable story of a blacksmith's son who shoes his first horse. The young narrator describes the night his father assures and guides him through the process of shoeing Shadow Horse.

Gift Horse : A Lakota Story
Nelson, S. D. E Nelson
Relates the story of a Lakota youth whose father gives him a horse in preparation for his making the transition from boyhood into manhood and becoming a Lakota Warrior.

Giddy-Up!
Alexander, Liza E Sesame
While waiting in line for his turn to ride a pony, Elmo deals with his fears one by one.

Mrs. Mack
Polacco, Patricia E Polacco
The author remembers the summer when she was ten years old and staying with her father in Michigan where she took riding lessons and became best friends with a perfect horse.

One Horse Waiting For Me
Mullins, Patricia E Mullins
Learn how to count the different kinds of horses from one to twelve.

The Biggest Horse I Ever Did See
Couture, Susan Arkin E Couture
A child yearningly watches a horse gallop over the mountain and imagines the part this animal might play in his future.

If I Had A Horse
London , Jonathan, E London
A child imagines riding a horse through the jungle, down the beach, among clouds and volcanoes, and up the sky to the moon.

Seneca
Baker, Karen, E Baker
After choosing a horse for her own, a young girl takes care of it, goes for rides, and visits it each day.

Moonstruck : The True Story Of The Cow Who Jumped Over The Moon
Choldenko, Gennifer, E Choldenko
The horse seriously doubts that the cow will ever be able to jump over the Moon but offers respect and admiration when the determined bovine accomplishes that feat.

Once We Had A Horse
Rounds, Glen, E Rounds
Several children who live on a ranch in Montana spend the summer playing with a gentle old horse which had been left in their yard.

Easy Readers

True Friends
Guest, Elissa Haden J 428.6 Guest
Walter shows Iris how to make friends with his horse Rain, and in turn, Iris helps Walter deal with a problem at school. SERIES Iris and Walter ; 2

Harry's Pony
Porte, Barbara Ann J 428.6 Porte
When Harry wins a pony in a contest, his friends try to find a way to help him keep it, but it is his aunt and her friends who come up with a solution.

Chapter Books

Bonita
Duey, Kathleen J Duey
SERIES Spirit of the Cimarron
Characters and story in this book were inspired by the DreamWorks film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.

Changes For Kaya: A Story Of Courage
Shaw, Janet Beeler, J American
While looking for Steps High, the horse that had been stolen from her, Kaya faces danger from a sudden mountain fire. Includes historical notes on the Nez Perce Indians.

Karen's Cowboy
Martin, Ann M., J Martin
Karen's family is way out west--at a dude ranch run by a real cowboy! Being 'home on the range' and going on trail rides is so, so exciting. But then Karen discovers that her cowboy friend has a big problem with his ranch..."

Little Horse
Byars, Betsy Cromer J Byars
Little Horse falls into the stream and is swept away into a dangerous adventure and a new life.
NOTES "An early chapter book."

The Wild One
Farley, Terri J Farley
Two years after being thrown by her horse, Blackie, in a near-fatal accident, Sam returns to her family's ranch and meets a mustang that could be the missing Blackie, or the legendaryPhantom, or both. SERIES Phantom stallion ; 1

Rescue On The Outer Banks
Ransom, Candice F. J Ransom
Sam Deal and his horse, Ginger, help an African-American lifesaving crew rescue shipwreck victims off the coast of North Carolina in 1896. SERIES On my own history

Amish Horses
Ammon, Richard J Ammon
An Amish boy cares for the horses that work on his family's farm.

The White Horse Talisman
Spalding, Andrea J Spalding
While spending the summer in England, Chantal and her brother Adam are drawn into a battle of good versus evil when a white horse carved into the neighboring farmlands speaks to Chantal and enlists her aid in locating a powerful talisman. Series:The summer of magic quartet ; book 1

Black Beauty: The Greatest Horse Story Ever Told
Jenner, Caryn J Jenner
Dorling Kindersley classic readers. Level 4 A horse in nineteenth-century England recounts his experiences with both good and bad masters. Illustrated notes throughout the text explain the historical background of the story.

Fear of Falling
Anderson, Laurie Halse. J Wild
Twelve-year-old David has conflicting feelings when his father, who taught him to ride the horses he loves so much, returns to spend Thanksgiving Day with the family after being gone for a year.
Series: Wild at Heart ; 9.

Horse Tales
Crebbin, June J Horse
Here you’ll find short stories about difficult horses and dream ponies, ponies in danger and horses that ride to the rescue.

Sandmare
Cooper, Helen J Cooper
A powerful wish allows the horse that Polly and her father draw in the beach sand to come to life and pursue her dream of reaching the starsunhappy life in the English countryside with a hateful stepfather.

Series List for Horses

Saddle Club J Bryant

Horseshoes J Daniels

Young Black Stallion J Farley

Phantom Stallion J Farley

Pine Hollow YAPB Pine Hollow

Thoroughbred YAPB Thoroughbred

Non-Fiction Horse Books

Domesticated Horse Books can be found in - J 636.1

Equestrian Books can be found in - J 798.2

Wild Horse Books can be found in - J 599.6655

All of these titles can be located in the Youth Services Department

Tompkins County Public Library ~ 101 East Green Street ~ Ithaca, NY 14850
607-272-4557 x275 or x276
CreatedNovember 20, 2006 ~ Last Modified: November 28, 2007
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