Middle Grade Monday: The Flying Horse by Sarah Maslin Nir

Image: Linden Tree Books

The Flying Horse by Sarah Maslin Nir. Once Upon a Horse #1. 172 p. Cameron Books/ Linden Tree, March 14, 2023. 9781951836672. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publicist.)

Happy Monday. Middle Grade Monday features The Flying Horse by Sarah Maslin Nir. This series beginner is sure to please your horse-obsessed readers. This is a parallel story where the chapters alternate between the birth of a foal in the Netherlands and the struggles of a horse-loving middle school student who is hiding her dyslexia. 

When the foal is born early, the surprised farmer names him Trendsetter, or Trendy for short. Trendy soon shows promise as a jumper. The farm is struggling, so the farmer has high hopes that Trendy will become a jumper at the National Equestrian Center. Unfortunately, he misses his horse pals, his treats and affectionate pats from the farmer, and so, he literally digs his heels in and refuses to jump. His spirit catches the eye of an imposing lady though, the Calvary Master for Piper Stud Farms, where the world-famous Lipizzaner horse are trained. 

Sarah is a seventh grader at an elite, private school in New York City. She's bright and inquisitive, but hiding a secret-reading and writing don't come easily to her. She can't even confide in her beloved grandmother. Like many students with learning problems, she has been able to hide her weaknesses, but in middle school, the emphasis on reading and writing increases. Her solution-to stop doing homework-gets her suspended. 

This quick and sweet read is attractively designed and certainly gives readers tons of all things horsey-from treats to tack to competing.

Teen Tuesday and Arc Review: Polo Cowboy by G. Neri

Image: Candlewick Press

Polo Cowboy by G. Neri. Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson. 288 p. Candlewick Press, October, 2021. 9781536207118. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Tuesday! And Happy Lunar New Year! I am looking forward to our assembly at school today. The Korean Parents' Association always puts together a wonderful, enriching experience each year. Today is the beginning of Black History Month and, though I try to feature diverse literature all year long, not just in the "designated" months, the emphasis this month will be on works by Black authors.

Teen Tuesday features Polo Cowboy by G. Neri. This is a companion/ sequel to Ghetto Cowboy, which I featured on a #tbt a while back. Cole's mom agrees to let him stay in Philadelphia with his dad. Cole's happy not to leave his horse, Boo and looking forward to spending more time riding. Harp bursts that bubble by insisting that Cole get a job grooming polo ponies at a tony military academy outside the city. Polo ponies! Now Cole needs to contend with substandard conditions at his inner-city high school and take a bus after school to groom polo ponies for rich stuck-up white boys. They are arrogant and treat Cole and one team member terribly. Ruthie is the only girl not only on the polo team, but at the military academy. She's also Black, but Cole has a hard time looking at her. While she's pretty and an excellent polo player, she has a skin condition that affects her pigmentation and makes for an easy target for her teammates. Cole is also trying to resist the lure of easy money that his cousin is offering. Cole is a cowboy through and through, but when he takes Ruthie up on her offer to teach him how to play polo, he's intrigued.

As in Ghetto Cowboy, there are beautiful black and white illustrations that enhance this compelling story of grit, determination and staying true to oneself. While the story can stand alone, I highly recommend reading both books to appreciate Cole's growth as well as the arc of his relationship with Harp. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Polo Cowboy by G. Neri

Image: Penguin Random House

Polo Cowboy by G. Neri. Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson. 288 p. Candlewick Press, October 12, 2021. 9781536207118.

Publisher synopsis: How does a Black kid from North Philly wind up playing polo? The much-anticipated sequel to Ghetto Cowboy, now a major motion picture starring Idris Elba and Stranger Things’s Caleb McLaughlin.

When Cole moves in with his dad, Harp, he thinks life will be sweet—just him and his horse, Boo, hanging out with Philadelphia’s urban cowboys. But when Harp says he has to get a job, Cole winds up as a stable hand for the polo team at George Washington Military Academy, where the players are rich, white, and stuck-up—all except Ruthie, the team’s first and only girl, who’s determined to show the others she can beat them at their own game. As Cole and Ruthie become friends—and maybe more—he starts imagining his future, maybe even at the academy. But between long workdays, arrogant polo players, and a cousin trying to pull Cole into his dangerous business, that future seems remote. Will Cole find the courage to stand and be seen in a world determined to keep him out? With striking illustrations by Jesse Joshua Watson, celebrated author G. Neri’s novel weaves themes of tenacity and community into a rousing sports story inspired by Philadelphia's real -life urban cowboys and polo players.

Teen Tuesday: Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri

Image: Candlewick Press

Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri. 224 p. Candlewick Press, August, 2011. 9780763649227. (Own)

Teen Tuesday features Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri. Twelve-year-old Cole is in danger of repeating seventh grade thanks to his habit of skipping school. His mom has had it, so she packs up his things and drives from Detroit to north Philadelphia to dump him with the dad he never knew. The last thing he expected was to come face-to-face with a horse. His father is a horse whisperer who owns a stable right in the middle of the city. This illustrated novel is fiction but based on a real stable in Philadelphia called The Fletcher Street Riding Club. Ghetto Cowboy was optioned for film by Idris Elba and is in production under the title, Concrete Cowboy.

Fact Friday: Horses: the definitive catalog of horse and pony breeds

Image: Scholastic

Horses: the definitive catalog of horse and pony breeds. 208 p. Scholastic Inc., February, 2019. 9781338360813. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

It is the penultimate Friday of summer vacay and time for Fact Friday! If you love all things horses, then look no further than, Horses: the definitive catalog of horse and pony breeds by Scholastic. It's larger format provides plenty of room for the spectacular, crisp color photos of over 150 horse and pony breeds. You will learn about horses in history; horse anatomy; the differences in breed types—hotbloods, warmbloods and western. There's a section devoted to ponies and miniature horses as well as information about caring for them. Perfect for browsing. This is a book you will return to again and again. Don't you want to stroke that cover? Glossary and index at the back. Gorgeous and happy making.

Fact Friday: Step Right Up: how Doc and Jim Key taught the world about kindness by Donna Janell Bowman

Step Right Up: how Doc and Jim Key taught the world about kindness by Donna Janell Bowman. Illustrated by Daniel Minter. unpgd. Lee & Low Books, October, 2016. 9781620141489. (Review from purchased copy).

William Key was born enslaved in Tennessee, where he showed an early propensity with animals and a natural curiosity that was encouraged by his "kind" owners. He learned to read and was able to travel from plantation to plantation to care for and train animals, earning himself the nickname, "Doc." He observed that animals were routinely beaten into submission and maintained that they would learn faster and better through kindness.

After the Civil War was over, he settled in Shelbyville, Tennessee and began to set up a series of businesses around the care and treatment of animals. He made medicines, including a liniment, that were in demand and so, he traveled the south with his medicine cart to sell his goods. While traveling through Mississippi, he came upon a circus that was trying to sell off their horses. He spied Lauretta, a broken and abused mare and recognized that she was an Arabian. He bought her and nursed her back to health. He had hoped to breed her but when her foal was born sickly, those hopes were dashed.

Nonetheless, he cared for the colt that he named Jim and Jim bonded with Doc. Doc noticed how observant Jim was and set about to see just how much Jim could learn. A lot, it turned out. The pair performed at the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, where they were a huge hit and soon in demand. Eventually, Doc Key teamed up with humane societies to spread their message of being kind to animals.

The linoleum block cut prints were painted with warm-toned acrylic. The mostly double-page spreads perfectly complement the engaging and well-told story. There's plenty of back-matter with more information about the famous pair, along with photos and historical context. Source notes and bibliography round out this unique and important addition to the biography section. 
I learned of this when it made the Notables List. Once I read it, I knew it would be a perfect addition to my sixth grade picture book biography unit. I appreciate it more with each reading. It makes for a great read aloud. I chose to read it to my sixth graders on the half-day before Thanksgiving break rather than dragging the laptops out for the half hour. They were rapt.

Visit Lee & Low's website for more information on how to use this book in the classroom. There's a downloadable teacher's guide on the book's web page as well as interviews and even a video of the artist discussing his process.