Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3A story that's as rich in the spirit of Christmas as it is spare in its choice of words. Thrilled with his present of a rocking horse, a boy takes all sorts of wonderful imaginary trips. As he grows up he moves on to other interests. Meanwhile, the horse laments his playmate's absence. Finally, it is relegated to the attic. Years later, a small boy discovers the horse with delight. For this had been his father's horse, his "oldest friend in the world." And soon this new boy and the old horse gallop away to their own adventures. Bittinger's oil paintings on linen are rich in palette and detail. The cover and the title-page illustrations showing Santa making and delivering the horse might well go unnoticed, but they are intrinsic to this story and so much a part of its charm. The scenes where the boy's imaginative play surrounds him with cowboys, knights, race horses, and jungle animals are so alive with motion and energy that they fairly leap off the page. The unnamed youngster could be any boy and this horse could be any toy, any treasure, that enables a child to become an adult made richer by memories and imagination. The theme of toys outgrown and put aside but not forgotten is so well-done here that it will strike a chord with many children. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
Ages 4^-8. The time-honored story of a toy's ups and downs, in the tradition of Margery Williams' classic Velveteen Rabbit, is given another ride in this book about a boy who receives a wooden rocking horse (shown on the jacket being lovingly crafted in Santa's workshop) on Christmas morning. The boy passionately plays with the horse, using it to ride to the West and lasso outlaws, joust with knights, and go on a safari. But as always in this sort of tale, the boy outgrows his beloved toy. The text, phrased with heartfelt simplicity and a touch of melancholy, is accompanied by spectacular oil paintings. By crisply defining the boy, the rocking horse, and the dog, but cloaking the imaginary elements in mist and letting them burst out of the picture frames, Bittinger captures the child's version of the world. --Susan Dove Lempke |
Horn Book Review
Osborne affectionately but sentimentally tells the story of Shadow the rocking horse, a Christmas toy who becomes a partner in his young rider's imaginary adventures. Later, during years of neglect, Shadow's spirit is almost extinguished, but he is finally refurbished and passed on to his owner's son. The oil paintings effectively portray both boys' imaginary travels. From HORN BOOK 1997, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |