Customer Reviews

King of the Wind

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Marguerite Henry took great license in telling the story of the Godolphin Arabian, but it's likely there were two reasons she did so; first, because she based the majority of her novel on heavily romanticised reports like that which appeared in Western Horseman in 1949; second, to illustrate to young children what could happen to perfectly good horses that were considered worthless because of prejudice or unwillingness to see what was there.

The real Sham was born in Tunis and given by the Bey of Tunis to King Louis XV with a group of other horses. But there's no evidence that he was reduced to pulling a cart in the Paris streets before rescue by Edward Coke. Coke probably got him from the Duke of Lorraine, who'd gotten him from the King.

A contemporary described Sham as "beautiful but half-starved", so the rough sea voyage with the greedy officers and crew is likely true, even if the cart-horse story is not. He also said that Sham (he spelled it Shami, and other accounts have "Scham") was temperamental and generally disliked by the stable hands. A vet who cared for Sham in his last years said he was built to sire champions: "his shoulders were deeper, and lay farther into his back, than those of any horse ever yet seen. Behind the shoulders, there was but a very small space ere the muscles of his loins rose exceedingly high, broad, and expanded, which were inserted into his hindquarters with greater strength and power than in any horse I believe ever yet seen of his dimensions, viz fifteen hands high."

Agba was real; there are portraits of the little horse with a handsome dark-skinned young man in flowing Arab dress and turban. Whether or not he was mute is debatable. Again, many of the later accounts have been greatly romanticised. But Grimalkin the stable cat was real too, according to early records which report his presence in the famous portrait.

There is no record of the apocalyptic battle with Hobgoblin. We can look at that, and Sham's subsequent exile to Wicken Fen, as symbolic of the prejudice felt by the complacent English toward this relatively small, strange-looking newcomer. The truth is that Sham did mate with Lady Roxane and sired Lath. He sired 116 others in his long lifetime.

With all the interest in Seabiscuit of late, one would like to point out that as a direct descendant of Man O'War, he was also a direct descendant of the Godolphin Arabian. Just another horse who seemed worthless, but was not, and came from behind to prove the superiority of Arabian blood.

Look up "Davenport Arabians" to learn more about this proud line.

This book was given to me when I was barely eight years old, almost thirty years ago. I learned how to read books that took more than one sitting with "King of the Wind".

The story is of a mute Morrocan stable boy, Agba, and a foal, Sham, who is born to one of the royal mares Agba cares for. Sham...and Agba...are selected to be part of a gift to the King of France. Their adventures in Europe are filled mostly with despair and cruelty, until Sham sires a foal that becomes the beginnings of the Thoroughbred breed we know today (this part is true; Sham was renamed "The Godolphin Arabian"; all Thoroughbreds must include in their pedigreeone of the three specific founding sires, and the Godolphin Arabian is one of them).

There's a lot here: adventure, triumph over adversity, a respect for other cultures, the care of the creatures that share our lives, and a healthy dose of humor about the absurdities of the powerful or elite.

As a kid, I eagerly devoured any Marguerite Henry book I could find. It's well worth it to get hard-cover editions that include the wonderful full-color illustrations by Wesley Dennis.

.... Marguerite Henry's novel King of the Wind is a beautiful story of a horse and his faithful groom. Throughout the novel the boy and the horse suffer through triumphs and tribulations. Their struggles are in silence, however, because the boy cannot speak. By making the boy a mute, Marguerite Henry makes the reader aware of the emotional aspect of the book. The audience is able to sympathize with the characters as the book progresses. The story begins in Morocco where Sham, the horse, is born in the Sultan's stable. Agba, the mute boy, is in charge of taking care of Sham. The Sultan decides to send the King of France a gift of six of his finest stallions, of which Sham is one. He commands the six grooms to remain with their mounts until the horses die, then return to Morocco. The trip is a disaster and five of the horses are returned to Morocco. Sham is kept to be used as a carthorse because of his fiery temper. He is sold many times and is forced to endure many hardships. Throughout all of his ordeals Agba is there taking care of him. The story ends when Sham is bought by the Earl of Godolphin and becomes the founding sire of the English racehorse. Nearly every Thoroughbred today can be traced back to the Godolphin Arabian. The story brings out feelings from the audience and Henry captures this emotion in Agba. Agba and Sham are the best of friends. No one can do anything with the horse if the boy is not around. Neither the boy or the horse can communicate verbally and this makes their emotions even more acute in the book. Their pain and suffering were made even worse by the fact that they couldn't explain to their tormentors what was happening. Henry does a wonderful job of putting the reader in the boy's position. It is very frustrating to want to tell someone something so bad, but not be able to. Portraying Agba as a normal speaking boy would have ruined the story. It forces the reader to feel the boy's pain and frustration rather than just reading about it. On page 169 the narrator states, "For the first time in his life, he was glad he could not talk. Words would have spoiled everything. They were shells that cracked and blew away in the wind. He and Sham were alike. That is why they understood each other so deeply". The bond between the horse and the boy would not have been nearly as strong and compelling if Agba communicated verbally. As mentioned in Dr. Allen's article some studies have suggested that people with speech disabilities can have bonds with animals that are as strong as past friendships with other people. These most frequently perceived aspects of animal-human relationships were described as companionship, emotional bond, usefulness, loyalty and the quality of needing no negotiation. Agba and Sham could communicate with each other even though they could not communicate with the rest of the world. This special bond between horse and boy brings the story to life. This story is a beautiful version of the story of the Godolphin Arabian. Portraying Agba as a mute gives the reader the opportunity to feel and experience what the boy and the horse both feel. Had the boy been able to talk this story would not have been nearly as effective or interesting. The bond the horse and boy share is unlike any other a normal speaking human could possess with an animal. Because Henry chose to take away the power of speech from the boy and the horse the reader has gained a wealth of emotion and feeling in this novel.

I am now 32 years old, and this book remains vivid in my mind as one of my all-time childhood favorites. The story of the mute stable boy Agba and his travels with 'his' beloved horse Sham exposes young readers to a variety of cultures and stressses the value of faithfulness and loyalty without being at all preachy. Sham, sent as a gift from the Sultan of Morocco to the King of France, is mistreated during the voyage and arrives looking like an old nag instead of the young, well-bred Arab stallion he is. The king's rejection of the horse is the beginning of a new journey as Sham -- with Agba always there to care for him -- passes from one owner to another, eventually becoming "The Godolphin Arabian" one of the three founders of the Thoroughbred bred. This book is worth buying in the hardback form, especially if that means getting Wesley Dennis' gorgeous illustrations in color

Have you ever wondered where the horses we call Arabians come from? Many people (including me) think that they are the most beautiful horses in the world.This is the story of one of the original Arabian stallions. This story begins when six Arabian stallions and their grooms are sent on a ship as gifts to the Prince of England. A dishonest sea captain does not feed them properly, and when they arrive in England,they are sick and thin. The prince is not impressed, and the Godolphin Arabian,Sham,is made into a cart horse. The horse is sold many times. Sham's groom,Agba, struggles to stay with him. Finally, after being sold and mistreated many times, Sham finally gets the respect he deserves. King of the Wind is a super book and I would recommend it to anyone, not just horse lovers.

King of the Wind is composed by Marguerite Henry. I rate this book with five stars. This book is about the adventure and friendship of a spirited horse named Sham and his horse boy. Agba the horse boy is a mute. When Sham was born he
was a weak horse but grew strong thanks to Agba's careful care. Agba and Sham were part of the royal stables in Morocco. The sultan of Morocco wanted to send six of his finest horses and their horse boys to the king of France as a present. Sham and Agba were chosen and endured the rough, long journey to France. By the time the small group of fine horses got to France they were mere skin and bones. The little group was laughed at and sent away lickety split. Agba and Sham stayed to help carry food to and fro the market for the kitchen at the kingdom. Eventually things happened leading them to live in many different places each time with different experiences. They had many rough times and sometimes by themselves. In one of the events a cat joins the boy and his horse. These three are quite n sync with each other and are quiet. The three endure many hardships as the story continues and in the end the story unexpectedly twists leading to a
happy ending.

King of the Wind was an awesome book. As you read this book you will come to realize you can not put it down. Whether you are a horse lover or not you will enjoy this book. This book is written for ages nine through twelve but yet people
of various ages will probably enjoy this book.

I decided to read this book because I have heard about this book from my friends. I also read this because it had been awarded a Newberry Honor award. The day I was introduced to it, I thought it was boring. How I was wrong! Instead, the book was very interesting.
The main character of this book was a young, mute boy called Agba, but the most important main character is a horse called the Godolphin Arabian, or Sham. Agba is a kind boy who took care of Sham from when he was born, and after Sham's mother died. Sham becomes known as the fastest horse in his stables. Sham is a spirited horse that only listens to Agba, and no one else. I feel sorry for Agba because he ia a mute.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was fun reading about Sham and his descendants. The story plot was great. It also talked about what happened to Agba and Sham, and about their trip to France, and then England. This story was told by the owner of Sham's descendant. That's why this book received a Newberry Honor Award.

The Christmas I was nine, I got a boxed set of Marguerite Henry novels and while I loved all of them and read them day and night during the break from school, I think this one goes down as my favorite. A few years after I first read this novel, my family moved and I discovered it was also, by a nice coincidence, one of the favorite books of a girl I met in our new neighborhood, who went on to be my best friend to this very day. That connection, too, makes this a special read. However you might come to possess this wonderful book, I think you'll agree, it's one to be cherished.

King of the Wind is the story of a mute boy named Agba, who lives works in the royal stables in Morocco during the eighteenth century, where the Sultan has perhaps the finest collection of horses on earth: maybe the greatest ever in history. Among the animals Agba cares for is a colt who has long been Agba's favorite. This horse was born with a mark called the wheat ear, that is regarded among Moroccans as so unlucky, custom mandates that any foal possessing it be destroyed at once. However, this colt also is marked by a sign of extraordinary good fortune, which reprieves the death sentence and is there to battle the wheat ear in the animal's life: the good in constant yin/yang conflict with the bad.

As a gesture of goodwill, the all-powerful Sultan elects to send a shipment of his finest horses to his friend and ally, King George of England. As the horses chosen for the journey are prepared, Agba is given the chance to accompany these prized animals by ship to the far-off Christian kingdom. One of the colts hand-picked by his Excellency is none other than the omen-marked horse Agba has grown to love. The journey northward upon the ocean is undertaken, but an unscrupulous sea captain has shortchanged the Sultan's agents and not provided food for the equine passengers. Therefore, the cargo of fine desert steeds who are unloaded in England appear little better than half-starved nags, and never find their way to the royal court.

Cast out among beggars and in a strange, cold nation where he knows no one and does not understand the language, Agba refuses to leave his beloved horse's side and the happenings that come to pass in the life of the desert stable boy and the fine, though seemingly run-down stallion, form the basis of a delightful novel that is simultaneously a tale of a boy and his extraordinary horse, and a history lesson in eighteenth-century equine lore. In Miss Henry's story, fact and fiction meet as Agba's horse becomes the celebrated Godolphin Arabian, from whom roughly one-third of all modern thoroughbreds can trace descent.

I guess you can tell I really like this book, and I think almost anyone would as well!

This book I read when I was about 9 or 10. I still remember how well Marguerite Henry's imagination worked. This book is about a loyal horseboy and a beutiful Arabian named Sham who is as wild as a lion. In the beggining when Sham is born, with the white spot, his mother will die and she does. Sham almost dies too, but the horseboy saves him with camel's milk and honey. Sham and him grow up together and the one day gets called to the sultan. He sends the to Europe where they perform for the king. After a while they travel all over Europe going through tough times, fun times, and times when they are split up. During the story a cat joins them. Some people are happy to help them when they are in trouble and others cause the trouble. In all the books by Marguerite Henry, I feel as though when she wrote these, her imagination must have flew wildly. What I mean by that is her writing is amazing. Some people think her writing stinks, but in my opinion, she's great.

Uh-oh. A horse book. As a kid, I always avoided horse books. They were the kinds of titles plucked up by fellow girls for the purpose of indulging their pony-laden fantasies. I never read "The Black Stallion" or "Black Beauty" or any of the classic equine titles out there. I read "Equus", but I don't think that counts. Then I decided to read all the Newbery award winning books I could get my hands on. That meant getting my hands on a copy of "King of the Wind". Fortunately, I've found that the older I get the more prejudices acquired during my youth are sloughed off with every book I read. With "King of the Wind" you get a thrilling one-horse history based on a true story. Though not the most satisfying of children's novels, kids reading the book will find themselves rooting steadfastly for this, the original underdog.

Quiz Question of the Day: Where in early 18th-century were some of the finest horses in the world raised and bred? If you answered Morocco then you are correct. At the time of this story, a mute stableboy by the name of Agba witnesses the birth of a most unusual foal. Born with a white spot on his foot (a good sign) and a wheat ear (a bad), the horse is named Sham by the boy and under the child's care grows healthy and strong. The horse is so impressive that it is only one of six sent as a gift (with horseboy Agba in tow) to the King of France himself. Unfortunately, this marks the true beginning of Sham's troubles. A malicious sea captain starves the animals and they end up looking very poor gifts indeed. Sham becomes an unruly workhorse. Then he's separated from his boy and given to an uncommonly cruel man. Boy and horse are reunited (and a cat comes along as well) only to pass from a kindly Quaker to a thoughless innkeeper. Our heroes together weather jail, banishment, and all sorts of ills until Sham's talent is finally discovered at long last... sort of. Though Sham never runs a great race (as any normal horse book would have him do) he sires some mighty-fine offspring who win all the races they're entered into. Happy ending for all.

Well, maybe "happy ending for all" is a bit much. The book's focus, should anyone forget it, is not supposed to be the Muslim boy, Agba. Author Marguerite Henry's choice of making him mute isn't too surprising when you think about it. After all, the fact that no matter what country he ends up in he manages to understand the language is shaky ground at best. If he can't talk then he can't suddenly burst into fluent French when the moment calls for it. Also, he can't get out of tricky situations (like his unfair jail time) and is a perpetual victim as a result. What struck me as particularly odd, however, was the end of the book. Agba's fate is reduced to a single sentence. After Sham's death Agba goes back to Morocco. End of story. Guess we know who the real hero in this tale is, huh? This is especially frustrating when you consider that you've been rooting for this kid for roughly 173 pages. To just drop him at the end without further to-do is harsh, to say the least. I mean, we're talking about one of the first Muslim heroes in children's literature. Surely that counts for something? Consider, after all, that this kid is banished from a beautiful home at one point and forced to practically starve in a cold scary fen at another. Then, at the end, the horse's newest owner tells the boy that all is forgiven and no hard feelings for making you live like a common thief, eh? Why the boy doesn't end up just the tiniest bit bitter is beyond me. I wonder if a kid of European blood would've been treated in a similar manner? Methinks, not so much.

And while I'm thinking about it, the ending's a little odd as well. That, however, I'm a bit more lenient with. Since this is based on a true story, Henry was limited in what she could or could not embellish. Most books in which a racehorse is ignored for his true talents end with that horse winning a big race at the tale's end. Not so here. Sham never wins a single race (aside from unofficial ones in Morocco). Instead, he simply sires more and more fast horsies, thereby "winning" by indulging in a most natural horse-like activity. Still, if that's what actually happened then who am I to complain?

I enjoyed this book thoroughly (in spite of my petty snipes). Henry knows how to write a gripping tale, full of soaring highs and truly awful lows. If you've a child with an affinity with horses, make sure that they won't feel too out of sorts when they see Sham beaten continually and abused in consistently awful ways. Animal cruelty aside, "King of the Wind" is one of those Newbery winners that kids (if they skip the Prologue chapter) will get into immediately. Consider pairing it with another boy-tending-a-great-horse book "The Star of Kazan" by Eve Ibbotson.