Horses

In Mary Pope Osborne’s Stallion by Starlight (Random House, 2014) in the Magic Tree House series, Jack and Annie travel back in time to meet Alexander the Great and help tame the wild black stallion who becomes his horse, Bucephalus. For ages 6-10.

Also see Osborne’s Horse Heroes, the nonfiction companion to Stallion by Starlight, which includes background information on horse anatomy and behavior, horse history, warhorses, famous horses, and more.

For a history-and-art hook, see Jean Fritz’s Leonardo’s Horse (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2001), a terrific picture-book account of Leonardo da Vinci’s plan to make an immense bronze sculpture of a horse. The project was only completed in the 20^th century, under the auspices of American artist Charles Dent. For ages 7-12.

Robert Lawson’s Mr. Revere and I (Little, Brown, 1988) is a tongue-in-cheek account of the most famous ride in early American history, as told by the participating horse – Scheherazade, late pride of His Royal Majesty’s 14^th Regiment of Foot, now a rebel. A delightful chapter book for ages 8 and up, by the author of Ben and Me.

See Paul Revere.

By Pam Munoz Ryan, Riding Freedom (Scholastic, 1999) is the fictionalized biography of 19^th-century equestrian and stagecoach driver Charlotte Parkhurst, who spent much of her life disguised as a man. For ages 8-12.

For mor info, see Stagecoach Driver: Charley Parkhurst.

Galloping Across the USA: Horses in American Life by Martin W. Sandler (Oxford University Press, 2003) is a comprehensive history of the American horse, ranging from the horses of the Plains Indians to the 19^th-century urban horses of the hansom cab and the horse-drawn fire wagon to modern mounted police.  The book is 64 pages long, divided into seven short chapters, and is creatively illustrated with photographs and period prints. Included are a timeline, a supplementary reading list, and a list of museums with exhibits on the history of horses. For ages 9-12.

Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse (Scholastic, 2010) is the story of Joey, a farm horse, co-opted to serve in World War I on the Western Front – and still hoping to find Albert, the farmer’s son, whom he was forced to leave behind. For ages 9-12.

The movie War Horse (2011), directed by Steven Spielberg, is rated PG-13.

In Philip Kerr’s The Winter Horses (Ember, 2014), set in the Ukraine during World War II, Max has been ordered to slaughter the animals on the nature preserve.  Instead, in company with an endangered Jewish girl named Kalinka, he sets out to save the Przewalski horses. For ages 12 and up.

Find out more about Przewalski’s horses.

By Wendy Williams, Horse: The Epic History of Our Noble Companion (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2016) is a wide-ranging history of the horse, covering everything from cave paintings to the Roman racetrack to the Wild West. For teens and adults.

By Eleanor Coerr, Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express (HarperCollins, 1996) – an I Can Read Level 3 book – is the story of young Buffalo Bill’s early adventures as a rider for the Pony Express. For ages 6-8.

Cheryl Harness’s They’re Off! The Story of the Pony Express (Simon & Schuster, 2002) is a cleverly written account of one of the most romantic episodes in horse history, crammed with fascinating detail. For ages 7-10.

Steven Kroll’s Pony Express! (Scholastic, 2000) is a picture-book history for ages 7-10.

By Thomas Ratliff, You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Pony Express Rider! (Franklin Watts, 2012) is funny, factual and informative – while warning you off a dusty, thankless job you’d rather not do. One of an entertaining historical series for ages 8-12.

By Jessica Gunderson, Young Riders of the Pony Express (Capstone, 2006) is a graphic-novel history of the famous (and dangerous) mail service for ages 9-12.

By Christopher Corbett, Orphans Preferred (Crown, 2004), subtitled “The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express,” is the story of remarkable attempt to carry the mail from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California in less than ten days. An informative and entertaining read for teens and adults.

Jim DeFelice’s West Like Lightning (William Morrow, 2019) is a history of the Pony Express with a cast of characters that ranges from Abraham Lincoln to Buffalo Bill. For teens and adults.