Customer Reviews

Latawnya, the Naughty Horse, Learns to Say "No" to Drugs

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is the tale of three African American horses (Latawnya, Latoya and Daisy), who leave the stable and get drugs from four white horses (Connie, Chrystal, Jackie and Angie). It is a timely and poignant tale that will leave you laughing, crying, and making scary noises.

It starkly and accurately presents the real dangers horses in black neighborhoods face from Caucasian equine drug pushers; when one of the horses died of a drug overdose, this reviewer wept openly. This is a lesson all children, foals, calves, chicks and cubs must learn before it is too late.

A classic of our time. Get it while you still can.

I can't express how grateful I am that my friend sent me this book! The timing of it is a godsend! You see, last night I came home to find my cats molesting my Ugly Doll. I freaked out, then regained my composure and had a heart-to-heart with them. Turns out THEY were smoking drugs and drinking booze! This shocked me, as I had no idea how they got those drugs, yet alone how they managed to carry the drugs or the booze in their tiny, little paws. When I asked where they learned this, they meowed, "I learned it from watching YOU!" I don't get this since I quit smoking the drugs a long time ago, way before I got them.

Anyways, I realized I should have spoken with them about these dangers a long time ago. I wasn't sure how to handle this situation when I got home tonight, but now I do. I'm going to read them this book! I know Latawnya is a horse and they are cats, but we are all creatures of God, or so the homeless man on the corner screams.

A solid read right out of the gait! While most reviewers may feel as if they were mercilessly pommeled by the message of this book (adapted from the Canter-bury Tales), I found the story a great starting point for discussion. Sure to stirrup controversy, 'Latawnya' has her blinders removed by the harsher truths of life. Neighsayers, doubtlessly, feel it may be too 'adult' for youngsters, however, parents saddled with the responsibility of educating their kids may disagree. The unbridled truths revealed herein can only serve to corral the impetuous spirits of today's youth by presenting the dangers of today's world as they are. Stable homes are built on open relationships created thusly. Ms. Gibson doesn't trot around the moral to be learned, and, as such the reader is not reined in by obfuscations. I can only hope that others help to make this spread like Wildfire, the more the farrier. It behooves you to buy this book!

I used to be an alcoholic, drud-addicted AND naughty horse.
But thanks to this inspired work ( thank you God ),
I am not a horse anymore.

On the surface, Sylvia S. Gibson's stirring account of equine tranche de vie is an eye-opening page-turner. When picked up for the fourth and fifth time, however, the story is far deeper than initially expected. These horses represent humanity, and they are smoking drugs. WE are smoking drugs. Gibson is a wordsmith, subconsciously compelling the reader to put oneself in Latawnya's hooves.

This brillant work is rated with 4 stars because the story is deceptively written for children, but it deals with heavy issues: horses smoking drugs, horses drinking alcohol, horses overdosing, and horses dying. Some of the illustrations are quite graphic as well, depicting most of the previously mentioned situations, as well as horse-to-horse kissing. It was wise for the artist to avoid images of horses hugging. Be warned if you have children under 18.

This should be required reading for mankind. Dig deep into this story.

At first glance this might just look like your average Run-of-the-mill novel. However when one delves deeper into the thought provoking pages, it is impossible to deny Sylvia Scott Gibson's literary prowess and intellect.

The 2 months that I spent reading "Latawnya, the Naughty Horse, Learns to Say "No" to Drugs (Hardcover)" I couldn't put it down! The book is about the epic journey of a young mare named Latawnya and her coming to terms with the smoking of drugs and the drinking of alcohols. As she is in her downward spiral of self-satisfaction she is confronted by her 2 sisters, Daisy and Latoya that remind her that "smoking and drinking is not ok". However Latawnya is not fully convinced. It is not until Mother and Father Horse confront her that she begins to see the mistakes she has made.

Also at first glance it would be easy to write this off as being irrelevant as it deals solely on horses. This however is a clever trick used by the author to give us a inside look at the world of drugs and alcohol through a horses eye's. Only then do we realize that horse, Latawnya could be you or someone close to you.

Let us not forget that Father horse had a friend that "accidentally took an overdose", He did not intend to overdose but did so anyway and proceeded to die from it. He would never be alive again.

I am looking forward to the upcoming sequel "Latawnya Relapses and Sells Her Hooves to the Upper Darby Glue Factory; a Horses Tale" Due summer 2008 (supposedly). Sylvia S. Gibson is an idea machine, and as an idea machine she will change the way we look at ourselves and the world, through the horse oriented gospel that is Latawnya.

This tome is an amazing compendium of "what to do" when confronted with the evils of equine substance abuse. The illustrations come "alive with pleasure", showing us in accurate detail just how bad the demon of smoke can be on a horse. I would like to thank this book for all it has done for me. "Thank you, book!"

I found this book while shopping for my donkeys. Since I don't raise horses, but donkeys, I was worried that the story and illustrations would be too horse-centric for my donkeys. But once I read the book I decided that my donkeys probably won't care that it's about horses, since the story is so exciting and the message so uplifting, even for donkeys. Sure, a horse dies in the book, but I can just tell the donkeys that's what happens to bad horses (and donkeys) when they smoke drugs and drink. "Stay away from the horses!" I'll tell them, since obviously Latawnya's species is too weak and drug-addled to act like responsible donkeys. But there's more to the message as well-- donkeys (and horses) need to think for themselves rather than follow the popular donkeys around. When my donkeys are teenagers and some horse tries to get them on the drugs, they will know better and will say "No thanks, donkeys don't smoke drugs" thanks to this book. What more could the parent of a donkey want? (Other than to get the horses out of the neigh-bor-hood.)

A good message for donkeys AND horses. Thanks to the author for writing such an engaging, important book for all parents of hoofed animals (including donkeys and horses) who are worried about smoking the drugs and drinking the alcohol.

When it comes to teaching children about the dangers of drug use, nothing does it better than something they can easily relate to--a young horse. This informative work will put your kids on the saddle for learning about safe and effective ways to say "neigh" to drugs.

Coming from a large family of horses myself, this book hit home. Ms. Gibson's flawless writing style expresses the beauty and pain of addiction. Thank you God for this helpful book!