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Gallop Into Good Books
Though Clover has a soft spot for fluffy puppies and cuddly kittens, she’s a horse girl from “Giddy-up Go.” Nothing delights your book bee buddy more than the sight of a handsome steed on a lead with a nose soft as velvet.
“Gallop Into Good Books” this month with Clover—trot down to your library, (a fast walk will suffice), and check out three blue-ribbon winners chosen by yours truly.
Page On. Enjoy!
The Community Literacy Foundation, in partnership with Neighborhood Reads, and with support from its sponsors, provides these books at no cost to schools in Washington, Union, Pacific, St. Clair and surrounding communities and to the Washington Public Library. Learn more at CommunityLiteracyFoundation.org.
Youngest Pick
Oh, to be on a horse’s back, to meander peacefully through leafy woods or canter through fields with waving wildflowers.
That’s all Dom desires, to be brave enough to saddle up in “Riding Magic,” a book about meeting fear head on by Kelly Starling Lyons.
Dom envies her big sister who’s perfecting the art of handling a horse with the mere touch of gentle hands on the reins. Dom’s mother and uncle, who learned to ride as kids support and encourage her, but Dom feels doomed by her dread, though her favorite horse, Magic, beckons to her from across the field, casting a spell of serenity.
The wisdom and will Dom needs to achieve her heart’s desire descends at night in the quiet of her room. Finally, she knows that horsemanship is in her blood and boldly stakes her claim.
Soft, expressive watercolors, by gifted artist E.B. Lewis, detail each step of Dom’s courageous journey.
Middle Pick
Imagine the thrill of seeing a horse trailer pull onto your property. Surprise! You have a new horse, all your own. A little girl has this transformative experience in “Kiki and Me,” a stirring book by Leo Timmer certain to enthrall readers with its spare, meaningful text and art that transforms from colorless to striking in scenes worthy of gasps and sighs of appreciation.
Soon after the new pal is unloaded, Kiki’s dad nails a small sign on the stable. Polly has a new home. The black horse narrates this lovely tale, vividly describing how horse and human get to know each other, slowly but surely becoming sidekicks who spend every day into evening together.
Polly appreciates all the fun they have when they “… go exploring. Off into the wide world.” Kiki has a vivid imagination and designs costumes for Polly to wear, going from being a knight’s ride to a bejeweled pony fit for a princess.
In pastures they wade up to Polly’s withers in glorious green and race along the beach, as crashing surf crests on the shore.
Alas, all too soon there’s a change in Kiki that Polly doesn’t see coming. After some bumpy times, it’s happy trails for them once again, two characters sure to stay with young readers.
Oldest Pick
“The Horse Dreamer,” a beauty of a book by Holly Surplice, is set on a string of remote islands off the west coast of Scotland. The Outer Hebrides is home to Merryn, her two sisters and mother. Merryn’s father was lost at sea in storm, a loss that causes the family untold grief.
Merryn finds peace in the forest where she senses her father’s presence. Thinking of him, she unconsciously makes a horse of broken sticks. Merryn also watches a pair of wrens, but worries their nest might not weather an approaching storm. When Merryn gets home, she mentions her concern to her mother and wishes she hadn’t. This confession wakens painful memories for her mother, who moves in and out of depression and must take meds dispensed by her daughters.
When Merryn returns to the forest after the storm, to check on the nest, she takes a fall and an extraordinary visitor approaches her—a magnificent horse with a “strong, crested neck … a Storm Horse” she thinks. Though the horse appears as if in a dream, it’s real and a friendship develops, their bond impacting Merryn’s life in a dramatic way, and saving her from certain disaster.
Line art is shades of pale blue compliments this touching story of understanding and hope.
Written by Chris Stuckenschneider.
Copyright 2026, Community Literacy Foundation.
