The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover)) [Hardcover]

Paul Goble (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover)

A Plains Indian girl is lost in the mountains during a storm. A wild stallion becomes her friend and she decides to ride free with the herd even after she is found. ". . . Storytelling and art express the harmony with and the love of nature which characterize Native American culture".--The Horn Book. Caldecott Medal; ALA Notable Children's Book. Full-color illustrations.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For most people, being swept away in a horse stampede during a raging thunderstorm would be a terrifying disaster. For the young Native American girl in Paul Goble's 1979 Caldecott-winning masterpiece, The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, it is a blessing. Although she loves her people, this girl has a much deeper, almost sacred connection to her equine friends. The storm gives her the opportunity to fulfill her dream--to live in a beautiful land among the wild horses she loves.

With brilliant, stylized illustrations and simple text, Paul Goble tells the story of a young woman who follows her heart, and the family that respects and accepts her uniqueness. Considering how difficult it is for some communities to allow friendships to grow between people of different cultures, this village's support for the girl's companions of choice is admirable. Goble's bold paintings reflect this noble open-mindedness. The young horse fanatic of the house will joyfully add this book to his or her collection. Children are passionate people; they will relate. (All ages) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-Paul Goble's beautifully-told, Caldecott Award-winning book (S&S, 1978) receives a fine treatment in this book and tape set. It is the tale of a Native American girl whose tribe follows the buffalo. She tends the horses, and grows to love them so much that eventually she joins them. Accompanied by Native American music, the story is clearly and lovingly read by Lance White Magpie, and sound effects help bring it to life. One side of the tape includes page-turn signals, while the other does not. Audio quality is excellent. This would make a good listening center for units on Native Americans, art, or horses.
Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books; Revised edition (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689845049
• ISBN-13: 978-0689845048
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Anthologies

More About the Author

Paul Goble is an award winning author and illustrator of children's books. He has won both the Caldecott Medal and The Library of Congress' Children's Book of the Year Award. To date, Mr. Goble has illustrated over 30 books. He has given his entire collection of original illustrations to the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings, South Dakota.

Goble, a native of England, studied at the Central School of Art in London. He has lived in the United States since 1977 and became a citizen in 1984. Goble's life-long fascination with Native Americans of the plains began during his childhood when he became intrigued with their spirituality and culture. His illustrations accurately depict Native American clothing, customs and surroundings in brilliant color and detail. Goble researches ancient stories and retells them for his young audiences in a manner sympathetic to Native American ways. Goble lives with his wife in Rapid City, SD.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate dream for a girl who loves horses, August 9, 2008

By 

Judy K. Polhemus "Book Collector" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

"The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses" won the Caldecott Award in 1978, the most prestigious award for children's illustrated books. As a children's librarian, I am always curious when I first open a Caldecott winner to see if I can readily identify why the book won the award.

Paul Goble is certainly an artist who sees beauty. He sets his story in the days of the Native American ascendancy on the plains. He renders nature in plentitude and colors the most beautiful black I have ever seen. In this Native American fairy tale a horrible black storm sweeps across the plains, frightening the horses into a stampede, carrying the older girl with them. She is what we would now call a horse whisperer.

In the night scene Goble depicts the black of the sky with stars and moon and the black of the high mountains in two shades of black. The horses, outlined in white against the mountains, look like gouache. The scene is stunning.

Goble goes on to have the girl meet a spotted wild stallion, who accepts her and the horses into his herd. By the end of this lovely fantasy, she has become a horse and the stallion's mate. The verdant flowers and rocks and pairings of five sets of animals match the horse pairing. It could happen in a fairy tale.

This story would appeal to any child with a strong artistic sense. Goble paints so much into his story that the visual story can almost stand alone. I know children who would love to "find" all the extras included in the scenery. The artwork is truly extraordinary. This book is highly recommended for ages 5 and up.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wild Horses actually do drag this young girl away, May 14, 2004

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses (Hardcover)

"The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses" is a straightforward tale of the Plains Indians, retold and illustrated by Paul Goble, unlike those that he has told about the trickster, Iktomi. This myth does not folllow any one story exactly but is put together from a great number of stories belonging to the peoples who lived on the Great Plains that Goble had read or listened to over the years. This story is premised on the importance of horses to these peoples. The title character is a girl in the village would loved horses so much that she would led them to drink at the river and when she spoke softly to them they would follow her. Her people recognized that she understood horses in a special way, which explains why this story ends the way that it does.

Every day after doing her chores the young girl would run off to be with the horses. One day there is a great lightning storm that drives the horses, carrying the young girl, over the horizon to a land she had never seen before. There she finds a beautiful spotted stallion, stronger and prouder and more handsome than any horse she had ever dreamed of. He is the leader of all the wild horses who roamed the hills and he welcome her to live with them. But a year later two hunters from her people discover her in the hills where the wild horses lived and they will try to bring the girl back to her parents. The question is whether the girl can be happy back with her people now that she has lived with the wild horses.

Goble's distinctive artwork, which recalls the art of the Plains Indians of the 19th century, is particularly well suited to this simple tale. As was the case in one of his earlier books, "The Gift of the Sacred Dog," which told how the first horses came into the lives of the people, you can tell that Goble likes to draw horses. In "The Girl Who Loves Wild Horses" he has ample opportunity to draw dozens of them, as well as the young girl decked out in her colorful garb, and I particularly liked the plant life he draws this time around. No wonder this book was the winner of the Caldecott Medal.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, August 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses (Paperback)

This is considered a children's book, and I haven't the foggiest idea why. This book has everything going for it--art, history, memorable characters, a tear-jerker ending and a just plain good story. This is arguably the most famous of Paul Goble's books--he has a whole series of Native American "children's books" and it has deservedly won awards. You--yes you--will spend a happy long time trying to find everything in Goble's intricate landscapes in each and every one of his illustrations. This book is my fantasy come to life. This isn't just a book--it's something to save from a fire. Unfortunately, I couldn't save it from my guinea pig Muffin, who ate the spine, but that's another topic