Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest LinkedIn YouTube TikTok
    • Home
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Advertise
    • Mentorship
    • Editing Services
    • About
    • Contact
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest TikTok
    The Children's Book Review
    Subscribe
    • Books by Subject
    • Books by Age
      • Ages 0-3, Infant and Toddler
      • Ages 4-8, Preschool to Elementary
      • Ages 9-12, Preteen and Tween
      • Ages 12+, Teen and Young Adult
      • Books for First Grade Readers
      • Books for Second Grade Readers
      • Books for Third Grade Readers
    • Favorites
      • Diverse and Inclusive Books
      • Books About Activism
      • Best Books for Kids
      • Star Wars Books
      • Board Books
      • Books About Mindfulness
      • Dr. Seuss Books
    • Showcase
    • Interviews
      • Growing Readers Podcast
      • Author Interviews and Q&A
      • Illustrator Interviews
    • Kids’ Book Giveaways
    • Directory
    • Podcast
    The Children's Book Review

    Kids Books for Horse Lovers

    TCBR ContributorBy TCBR Contributor7 Mins Read Ages 4-8 Ages 9-12 Animal Books Book Lists Books with Girl Characters Chapter Books Sports Teens: Young Adults
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    A Horse for Every Kid

    By Lisa Catherine Harper, The Children’s Book Review
    Published: May 3, 2013

    Horse Diaries 8 cover illustration © 2012 by Ruth Sanderson
    Horse Diaries 8 cover illustration © 2012 by Ruth Sanderson

    Let’s start with a show of hands: How many of you are sending a kid to horseback riding camp this summer? Or to a camp where your kid can ride for part of the day? Or have been asked by your kid about some summer activity involving horses? I thought so.

    There’s something archetypal about a kid and a horse that persists—across seasons, through years, down generations, and there’s a whole genre of books to prove it:  Black Beauty, National Velvet, Misty of Chincoteague. We tend to think in terms of girl + horse, but then you remember The Black Stallion series, and all bets are off. I can’t say I entirely understand, but I’ve watched my daughter, her cousins, and a good number of her friends wander in and out of stables and camps—some more seriously than others—and I’ve had to acknowledge there’s substance to the stereotype. And the thing is, not all horse books are made equal, and not all horse books are about the same kind of horse. They vary widely in point of view, theme, style, plot and they tend to become a repository for a whole range of human issues. Which is to say: horse books aren’t just for kids who like horses.

    These three contemporary books—one chapter book, one middle grade reader, one young adult—all published since 2011, represent the range of what’s possible in the genre. They’re are all excellent choices for your child—whether she loves horses or not, whether she’s a she or not.

    HorseDiariesTennesseeRoseHorse Diaries 9: Tennessee Rose

    By Jane Kendall

    Imagine the American Girl series with horses instead of girls and you have the premise of The Horse Diaries. Each volume in this series of chapter books tells the story of a horse and his human, in a particular historical period, from the horse’s point of view. Black Beauty set the precedent for this, of course, and while some kids don’t buy it, others love it. Tennessee Rose is set in 1856 and tackles slavery through the eyes of a Tennessee Walking horse (the book is full of great facts about this interesting, particularly American breed).The prose is clear, the characters, equine and human, are well-rendered, and the historical details, as in the American Girl series, are age appropriate. Tennesee Rose tackles plantation farming, slave literacy, the sundering of slave families, Civil War conscription and Rose’s boy owner’s escape to freedom in the north. It loosely but smartly parallels that other, much more adult historical genre, the slave narrative. With its vivid illustrations and ample adventure (boy and horse go to war) this one should appeal equally to boys, girls, horse kids and budding historians. The added value to The Horse Diaries is that as with any good series, is that once your child gets started, chances are she’ll read more than one.

    Ages 8-12 | Publisher: Random House Children’s Books | August 7, 2012

    PieInTheSkyPie in the Sky

    By Jane Smiley

    This is a lovely gem of a book, thoughtfully written and carefully attuned to the inner life of its adolescent protagonist, Abby Lovitt. It’s also packed with equestrian details and of the three reviewed here, it’s the most likely to appeal to the girl who’s a rider. Pie in the Sky is the fourth in Smiley’s Horses of Oak Valley Ranch Series, and it’s decidedly character driven. In this volume, 12-year-old Abby is about to enter high school. Her struggles there parallel her quest at the stable to get her beloved enigma of a horse, True Blue, to jump. A perfectionist fellow rider, a dictatorial trainer, and an unorthodox trader make for the real drama in the ring and the book culminates in an exhilarating coming-of-age epiphany that in which Abby has to reckon with family, friends, and horse. In Abby, Smiley renders the kinds of qualities—independence, bravery, originality, strength, leadership—that you want a good girl character to have (and which most of us hope our daughters internalize). Set in California in the 1960s, there’s a satisfying tussle between the traditional and the contemporary, the old and the new, that feels especially relevant to the Abby’s age and state of mind. They don’t call books for this age group middle readers by accident, and Smiley’s contribution to the genre is a graceful, sophisticated one.

    Ages 10 and up | Publisher: Random House Children’s Books | September 11, 2012

    TheScorpioRacesThe Scorpio Races

    By Maggie Stiefvater

    To call this book a horse book is only part of the story. It’s also: a romance, a fantasy, an action-adventure. I couldn’t put it down. Stiefvater’s prose is vivid, lyrical, and compelling. It’s the kind of prose that calls attention to itself, and one of the great pleasures of this book is the concrete pleasure of the language. It’s high octane writing for an intense story: on a vaguely Celtic, vaguely contemporary island, a community shapes their lives, their traditions, their rituals, and their economy around the Scorpio Races. Every November, the water horses rise out of the sea surrounding this—and only this—island. Half horse, half fish, all myth, the water horses emerge from the foam, are captured by islanders, trained, and then ridden down the beach in a brutal, violent race which always ends with someone’s death.

    Written in alternating first person points-of-view, The Scorpio Races follows the fate of  Sean Kendrick and Puck Connolly both of whom have been orphaned by water horses. Kendrick is the island’s undisputed champion and gifted trainer of horses—water and land. Puck is the newcomer, riding to earn the money to save her family home. The island is bleak and harrowing; the water horses are wild and harrowing; the romance that grows between Puck and Sean is intense and exhilarating. Stiefvater has created a mythology for the island and a rich cast of supporting characters—villains and heroes alike, strong women, terrible men, great friends, tender siblings. There’s something elemental and bleak about the island and the horses, but Maggie and Sean’s story is tough and, ultimately, redemptive. There’s a little bit of Heathcliff and Cathy or Rochester and Jane in their storm-crossed attraction, and it’s heartening to see Puck struggle with her desire but never sacrifice herself or her ambition. If you’re looking for a strong, smart, adventurous, flawed, utterly compelling heroine, Puck is your girl. And if you’re the parent of a girl, it’s impossible to overlook the fact that she finds unlikely female mentors to help her along the way. Because of the violence and romance, this one skews a little older, but if your reader likes horses, or fantasy, or The Hunger Games, or the wild imagination of the Brontes, this is absolutely the book to buy.

    Ages 13-17 | Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. | April 1, 2013 (Paperback)

    Lisa Catherine Harper is the author of the award-winning memoir, A Double Life, Discovering Motherhood and co-editor, with Caroline Grant, of The Cassoulet Saved our Marriage: True Tales of Food, Family, and How We Learn to Eat. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is not sending her kids to horse camp this year. Visit: http://www.lisacatherineharper.com

    What to Read Next:

    1. Best Children’s Books of 2009 … Beyond the Half-Way Mark
    2. Holiday Gift Guide: Best Children’s Books & Toys
    3. The Children’s Book Review Turns One
    4. Valentine’s Day Gifts: Kids’ and Young Adult Books

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

    Horses Jane Kendall Jane Smiley Maggie Stiefvater
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleTilly’s Moonlight Garden by Julia Green | Review
    Next Article More Star Wars Books: May the 4th be with You!
    TCBR Contributor
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • X (Twitter)

    The Children’s Book Review, named one of the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) Great Web Sites for Kids, is a resource devoted to children’s literacy. We publish reviews and book lists of the best books for kids of all ages. We also produce author and illustrator interviews and share literacy based articles that help parents, grandparents, teachers and librarians to grow readers. This article was written and provided by one of TCBR's regular contributors.

    2 Comments

    1. Pingback: Kids Books for Horse Lovers - from @book_mommy

    2. Nicole on September 17, 2016 12:10 pm

      I recommend the Shade Break Farm series of books about a girl and her thoroughbred trying to learn to become a team and compete professionally. You can find the first and the second book on Amazon.

      Reply
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    TCBR Supporter
    Recent Articles
    • Squid in Pants, By Kaz Windness | Book Review
    • The Rejection Collection: Allie Millington’s Journey to Publishing ‘When You Find a Hope’
    • Armando and the Amazing Animal Race | Dedicated Review
    • Armando and the Amazing Animal Race | Awareness Tour
    • 5 Stunning Summer-Themed Audiobooks for Ages 4 and Up
    TCBR Supporters
    sponsored | become a TCBR supporter today
    sponsored | become a TCBR supporter today

    sponsored | become a TCBR supporter today
    sponsored | become a TCBR supporter today
    Discover Kids Books by Age
    Best Books For Kids
    Media Kit: The Children's Book Review
    Author and Illustrator Showcase
    SEARCH
    BOOKS BY SUBJECT
    Archives
    Professional Resources

    Book Marketing Campaigns

    Writing Coaches and Editing Services

    Mentorship

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest YouTube LinkedIn TikTok
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Policies
    • Advertise
    • TCBR Buzzworthy Mentions
    • About TCBR
    © 2025 The Children’s Book Review. All rights reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.