Beauty


Bill Wallace - 1988
    Grampa warned him to be careful with Beauty, but Luke didn't listen.He'd told her all about his hopes, dreams, and fears -- secrets Beauty would never reveal. She was his pal, who went skinny dipping with him in forbidden ponds and galloping after cattle in dangerous cowboy games he knew he shouldn't play. Until the night of the wild storm, when Beauty raced through the barn doors he'd forgotten to close into a terrible trap, and Luke ran into the blinding rain desperate to save the best friend he'd ever have...

The Wonderful Adventures of Nils


Selma Lagerlöf - 1906
    Written at the request of Swedish school authorities and first published in 1906, it is the enchanting and remarkably original tale of Nils Holgersson, a mischievous boy of 14 who is changed by an elf into a tiny being able to understand the speech of birds and animals.Brilliantly weaving fact and fiction into a breathtaking and beautiful fable, the story recounts Nils's adventures as he is transported over the countryside on the back of a goose. From this vantage point, Nils witnesses a host of events that provide young readers with an abundance of information about nature, geography, folklore, animal life, and more.Reset in easy-to-read type and enhanced with 10 new illustrations, this inexpensive, unabridged edition will bring new generations of readers under the magical spell of a timeless classic.

Horses of the Sun


Leanne Owens - 2011
    Also suitable for adults who like an inspiring story about the outback, horses and children achieving their dreams. Beautifully written by an English teacher/ journalist who lived in the outback for many years. Sunhaven Downs, a drought ravaged cattle station in outback Australia, is the home to Dane, Lani and Matthew Winter, three young outback riders whose lives centre around their horses. When their city cousin, Amy King, is left there for a year and declares that she hates horses, they know their lives are ruined. What they don't know is that Amy has a secret - a secret she is desperate to keep from her outback family, something that will ultimately save their lives – but not all of them - on the night the drought breaks. This is the first book in The Outback Riders series which follows the lives of these four children and their friends as they grow up in the outback with their horses and, ultimately, represent their country in their chosen horse sports (eventing, polocrosse, jumping, reining, cutting). It is approximately 36,000 words or just under 100 print pages and, as the introduction to the series, is the shortest of the books. Book Two, "Horses Of The Light" is now available and is 70,000 words and filled with excitement, adventure, some sadness and the start of a life-long romance.Author, Leanne Owens, is an English teacher with a Masters in Education and she been writing for horse magazines on and off for over thirty years. She lived in the outback for many years and currently owns and operates the Horses Of Gold Stud in Queensland with the famous Quarter Horse stallions, Days Of Gold and Nights Of Gold.

International Velvet


Bryan Forbes - 1978
    Sarah and her beloved horse Arizona Pie had set their sights on victory in the Olympic Games...but falling in love took Sarah by surprise...

Groosham Grange


Anthony Horowitz - 1988
    New pupils are made to sign their names in blood; the French teacher disappears every full moon; and the assistant headmaster keeps something very chilling in his room.

Paint the Wind


Pam Muñoz Ryan - 2007
    A puzzling photograph, a box filled with faded toy horses, and a single fractured memory are all that Maya has left of her mother. In Grandmother house, she lives like a captive, tethered by rules... until a shocking event changes everything. A world away, in the rugged Wyoming wilderness, a wild mustang called Artemisia runs free, belonging only to the stars. In a land where mountain lions pose an ever-present threat, she must vigilantly defend her foal... until a devastating act separates them from their band. Like a braided rein, Maya's and Artemisia's lives will ultimately intertwine.

Milo & Ze: A Bull Terrier Puppy Adventure


Mark Watson - 2014
    Milo & Ze is the eagerly-awaited second illustrated children's book by Mark Watson and Pablo Michau, authors of the bestselling, "The Shark in the Park". "Milo is a cute bull terrier puppy who has been forgotten, locked in a kennel, until one night a blinding light comes out of the night sky and smashes his kennel creating a crater that the bull terrier braves his way to peer into and hears a mole who asks his name and the little bull terrier discovers a fallen star: `'Never again need you wish for a friend, he waits for you at your journey's end.' And off Milo goes on a journey, sees a truck, meets Big the Pig who invites him to his yacht which turns out to be a leaky barge but Milo jumps ship and ultimately comes ashore to see Big the Pig safe and free. Milo meets a pelican who gives him a ride. The next ride is on a camel but a sandstorm hits, covers the little bull terrier, but he is discovered by an elephant who helps him on his journey. But more adventures arise - a tiger, a mountain goat, a cavern and finally, the little bull terrier puppy arrives at the door where lives an Indian lad by the name of Ze: Milo finally has a friend of his own. Enchanting rhyming verse, exquisite illustrations and a heartwarming adventure that simply is restorative and makes the reader feel good. Searching for friends - a great goal and a wonderful destination. Highly recommended for children and art loving adults." Grady Harp, January 15

A Horse Called Trouble


C.K. Volnek - 2011
    At thirteen she finds herself skeptic and suspicious, with no family, no friends, and forced to participate in horse therapy. Horse therapy “will teach trust, perseverance, respect and the value of teamwork,” or so says the program’s instructor. Tara is unconvinced. Trust only got her heart broken, perseverance only gets her put down, and no one respects or wants to team up with the misfit foster kid. At the stable, Tara meets Trouble, an angry horse bent on destroying everything and everyone around him. When Tara realizes he’s just as misunderstood and untrusting as she is, she pushes aside her fear and a special relationship is formed. Trouble trusts Tara, and Tara in turn finds hope and acceptance as well as the will to love and trust again herself. But Tara’s confidence is shaken as a great challenge looms ahead. Trouble’s manipulative owner is determined to have him destroyed because of his ‘dangerous’ nature. Tara must overcome her own limitations and fight to save the horse that has freed her heart and given her life value and meaning.

Elizabeth Gail and the Mystery at the Johnson Farm


Hilda Stahl - 1988
    She's the stereotypical foster child, determined never to love anybody again. But her resolve weakens as the Johnson family responds to Libby's anger with genuine Christian love. Ultimately, Libby is adopted into the family of God. But clouds of mystery sweep over the Johnson farm as old secrets and new relationships mix. A great story with a great message for preteen girls.

The Wild One


Terri Farley - 2002
    She moved away two years ago to recover from a bad fall off her beloved mustang, Blackie, and she′s still not sure she can get back in the saddle. Her new colt doesn′t seem to like her, and the other ranchers treat her like the boss′s spoiled daughter, and Blackie has been missing since that fateful day.But that′s just the beginning. When Sam suddenly finds the fate of a mysterious mustang - who may or may not be the missing Blackie - resting in her hands, she has to learn to be a real cowgirl, ready or not. The classic theme of a girl and her horse is set against a backdrop of mustangs, tumbleweeds, and a West that′s still Wild.Phantom Stallion #1: The Wild OneOn a moonlit night, a mustang comes to Sam. Is it Blackie grown up and gone wild? Is it the legendary phantom stallion? Or could it be both?Ages 10+

Friedrich


Hans Peter Richter - 1961
    At first, Friedrich seemed to be the more fortunate, but when Hitler came to power, things began to change. Friedrich was expelled from school and became an orphan when his mother died and his father was arrested and deported.This is a terrifying story of the destruction of a single Jewish family.

Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing


Elizabeth Mitchell - 2002
    Focusing on the 1999 Derby winner Charismatic, Mitchell traces this horse's amazing and ultimately tragic story, from the birth of a foal through its surprising rise to fame. Mitchell also follows the major players in Charismatic's life, including the family who bred him, the trainer, the owners, and the famed jockey Chris Antley, whose own story is more tragic than that of his horse. Through these interlocking stories a sense of familiarity with the key players in the industry evolves, as well as a greater understanding of the heart and soul of a sport that has fascinated human beings for centuries.

The Christmasaurus: Tom Fletcher's timeless picture book adventure


Tom Fletcher - 2021
    . .The Christmasaurus wants more than anything to be able to fly, and help pull Santa's sleigh across the sky on Christmas Eve. But flying turns out to be much harder than he thought, even with Santa's help! One special Christmas, however, he falls down a chimney and meets a dinosaur-obsessed little boy who teaches him the magic of believing . . .With Shane Devries' breathtaking illustrations, a pitch-perfect, read-aloud rhyming text and two magical surprise gate-fold pages, The Christmasaurus Picture Book is the perfect Christmas gift.

The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly


Luis Sepúlveda - 1996
    A seagull. An impossible task.A worldwide bestseller and the subject of a feature film, THE STORY OF A SEAGULL... is finally out in paperback!Her wings burdened by an oil slick, a seagull struggles to the nearest port to lay her final egg. Exhausted, she lands on a balcony where Zorba the cat is sunning himself. She extracts three extraordinary promises from him: that he will watch over the egg, that he will not EAT the egg, and that, when it's time, he will teach the baby gull to fly. The first two promises are hard enough, but the third one is surely impossible. Isn't it?

The Road to Balinor


Mary Stanton - 1988
    After a terrible riding accident, Ari cannot remember anything of her past and is sent to live on a farm with foster parents. What Ari doesn't know is that she is not from our world, but from Balinor, a land of sorcerers and unicorns! Her parents, the King and Queen, sent her to Earth to protect her from a raging war before they were banished from their homeland. Now Ari--Princess Arianna--has found the road back to Balinor. As she struggles to remember her heritage, she must face the challenge of restoring peace to Balinor.