Enchanted Horse (Book & Tape) [Paperback]

Magdalen Nabb (Author)

Book Description

Series: Book & Tape

When Irena sees the wooden horse in the junk shop, she wants to take it home with her. What she doesn't know is that this tattered little horse has a secret. The book was the Young Judges overall winner of the 1993 Smarties Award.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-In this fast-paced fantasy, a neglected wooden horse is changed back into the beautiful mare it once was, through the loving care of a shy, lonely, preadolescent girl. Irina sees the old rocking horse in a junkstore window and decides she must have it. The proprietor, sensing her need for it, gives Bella to her, and tells her about a live Bella, a beautiful, once-wild horse that used to belong to a local farmer who mistreated her. As the wooden horse gradually comes to life, Irina blossoms. She is happier than she has ever been, especially when her Bella takes her on thrilling midnight rides. One cold winter night, the animal leaves the child to run through the hills with a herd of wild horses. Irina is devastated. Too late she realizes she has not heeded the storekeeper's warning "Never say that any creature on this earth is yours...." She withdraws into herself again-until Bella returns, bringing her injured foal for Irina to nurse. This time she promises herself to let it go when it is grown. In so doing, she frees herself to grow up. The message may seem obvious to some, but that will not deter young horse lovers and beginning readers of fantasy, who will be absorbed by the details of equistrian care, the magic of the animal's transformation, and the excitement of the late-night rides. The many fine black-and-white drawings convey Irina's sadness, Bella's magical changes, and the strong energy of the galloping horses.
Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. This haunting, convincing fantasy begins on Christmas Eve. Sad, lonely Irina is given a broken-down wooden horse by a blind old man who also tells her the story of Bella, an elegant mare who disappeared after the death of her abusive owner. Back at a remote farm with her neglectful parents, Irina quickly finishes her chores each day so she can groom the toy horse's coat each night. On the seventh evening, Irina is awakened by the real Bella and is delighted to go on secret twilight rides with the horse. But after she selfishly declares that Bella is "mine, all mine, and that's why I'm happy," the mare escapes with a herd of wild horses, leaving devastated Irina behind. Sensitive pencil drawings illustrate the story, which is written in lyrical prose that creates a timeless, fairy-tale world that speaks of emotional truths. The religious/philosophical moral may be out of the reach of most readers ("Never say that any creature on this earth is yours"), and the later action is telescoped in time, but the conclusion is positive: Irina cares for Bella's abandoned foal even though she knows she could lose it. Julie Corsaro --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 92 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Audio (August 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0001005499
• ISBN-13: 978-0001005495
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,253,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Found in the Library, February 15, 2005

By 

anonymous - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Enchanted Horse (Audio Cassette)

I found this book while browsing in the library and came on here in hopes of finding one to buy for me and for one of my cousins. I guess I'm going to have to look in some second-hand shops now. A wonderful story, I admit I cried in some parts. Definately one to keep.
A young girl named Irina lives out in the country with her parents, helping on the farm. Her parents told her a while ago that she was getting to old to celebrate christmas and so they have no tree, no decorations and she is only allowed to buy one gift for herself. Trying to pick something to please her mother she ends up spying an old wooden horse in a junk shop window that she wants to save because it's being crushed. Her mother is not pleased with her choice,("probably a mass of wormwood!" claims her mother)but they allow her to take it home. That's where the story continues from(for that is truly the start of the story), but, it's hard to love an enchanted thing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Story For Most Ages, January 10, 2003

By 

Linda "Linda" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Enchanted Horse (Paperback)

A wonderful,enchanting story.A little girl named Irina is sad and lonely.She discovers a giant horse figure in an old shop and begs to keep it.Irina loves her pretend horse so much that it turns into a real live horse!!Then it runs away!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cool Book, July 22, 2001

By 

Christina MacLeod (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Enchanted Horse (Hardcover)

I thought The Enchanted Horse was a cool book.I liked it because it is easy to read and it was about a horse. It is a story about a girl and a magical horse. I liked reading it lots. If you like animals and magic I think you will like this book.