The Biggest Horse I Ever Did See [Library Binding]

Susan Arkin Couture (Author), Claire Ewart (Illustrator)

Book Description

A young boy sees a group of wild horses galloping over a mountain, and the boy fantasizes about his own future and about a day when he can show the glorious galloping wild horses to his own grandson."

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ages 3^-7. The "splendid sight" of a horse galloping over the mountain in the morning strikes a profound chord with a small boy. With the constant refrain of "over the mountain in the morning," the boy is seen growing from childhood into adulthood, marrying, and having a son of his own, and, finally, a grandson with whom he can share the enjoyment of watching horses turned loose to run "galloping over the mountain in the morning." The simple yet eloquent text pairs well with the watercolors showing the smoothly rolling green fields, the far-reaching sky, and, most importantly, the elegantly powerful horses running free. Susan Dove Lempke --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A story from Couture (Melanie Jane, 1996) with obvious promise--about the bonds that ripen between people and animals, and about the connection between continuity and place--that gives way to one simple, forgettable refrain. A little boy watches as a horse charges by, through a meadow and up a hill: ``Another horse was by his side/Galloping over the mountain/Galloping over the mountain in the morning.'' The boy grows up, the seasons change, and the presence of the horses, now harnessed, are one constant in a world in flux. The speculative nature of the text (``If I drove that splendid team'') makes all the events depicted in the illustrations part of the boy's less- than-childlike imaginings--a future in which he is married, balding, bespectacled, and stooped, showing the horses to his grandson on the last page. The pulsing repetition--``Galloping over the mountain in the morning''--is pleasantly hypnotic, but the narrative is too weak to support the refrain, rendering it little more than singsong. Ewart's pale watercolors valiantly attempt to convey the passage of time and communicate the love felt by the boy for those great, wild steeds. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060234687
• ISBN-13: 978-0060234683
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,268,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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