Well, you see, I once decided that I would read all of the horse books in existence, (meanwhile writing a few as well) and I happened to stumble upon
The Black Stallion. As soon as I opened the front cover I was delighted to see that Walter Farley had written a whole
series of Black Stallion books! In fact it was so big a series there were twenty one of them! So I checked them all out, only to find that I loved the first one, liked the second, was OK with the third, and didn't even read the rest. You know the saying: "First time's funny, second time's silly, and third time's a spanking." So, if you're like me, and you want to read all of the sappy horse books in history, I'll save you the trouble: If it's a series, only read the first ones.
In the book, young Alexander Ramsey is shipwrecked on an inhabited island with a wild stallion. The way the author writes takes you inside Alec's mind without going into the first person. In almost all the books you can find, the first words are boring, and they encourage you to stop reading. Well, that is if you don't read The Black Stallion. It's entertaining from the very start, introducing the characters without being bland, witch is a pattern I see in a lot of books.
So again, if you like horses and you happen to be a kid, I highly recommend The Black Stallion.
I'd be very interested to read about any other horse stories you enjoyed. I had the same experience with The Black Stallion series. Have you read War Horse by Michael Morpurgo?
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to read it, I've been seeing it around and I'll probably be getting around to reading it soon.
Deletelizzy
My eldest is also a horse fanatic and I would love your perspective on Misty of the Chicoteague. In your spare time, of course. :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE all of the misty books! (there's always an exception to every rule)
Deletelizzy
Haha!! Love it Lizzy - you have a humorous streak like your mama for sure. :) Great perspective, and I love that you're also writing your own horse stories!
ReplyDeleteLoved, loved Black Stallion as a kid. and I have a few of the sequels, I agree, not as good as the first but sometimes i don't mind revisiting my childhood:)
ReplyDeleteOh and Becky highly recommend Misty from an adult perspective too, really well written