The Mare on the Hill (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

by Thomas Locker (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Locker, a painter whose works are gallery exhibits and prized by collectors, presents a beautiful successor to his acclaimed first book, Where the River Begins. Here he tells a solid story, in a minimum of well-chosen words, about young brothers and the wild mare they ache to befriend. The marvelous white horse flies away from Jake and Aaron, to the top of a hill where she stays, fiercely free, condescending only in the bleakest winter to accept food the boys leave. When they find the mare and her foal in their barn later, it is a glorious moment. Each event is printed on the reader's mind by Locker's ineffable paintings of the matchless terrain of the Hudson River Valley. The artist's rich colors emphasize changes wrought by the four seasons in the country, largely undisturbed by "progress," where people live in harmony with nature.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
K Up "By Constable out of Stubbs" might be the pedigree of the splendid oil paintings that face each page of text in this book. Traditional English bloodlines are suggested by Locker's handling of skies and horses, but the Connecticut landscape celebrated here is native, and lovingly observed through the changes of season and mutations of light. The setting is a house and barn above a river bend, backed by a noble promontory and the hill of the title. There are no other buildings in the wide land, no power lines or vehicles in sight; except for some details of clothing, we might be at any point in the past 200 years. The story is simple: after Grandpa brings home a white brood mare, terrified of people, his two grandsons try to make friends with her. She stays up on the hill, even through the winter, when the boys take food up, but before she foals in the spring she comes down to the barn and allows them to come near. As with Where the River Begins (Dial, 1984), Locker allows his audience to contemplate anewor for the first timethe traditional beauties of landscape. Patricia Dooley, formerly at Drexel University, Phila .
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140553398
• ISBN-13: 978-0140553390
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.4 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,262,235 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Book With Beautiful Pictures, November 27, 1999

By A Customer

The author put a lot of beautiful art in the book. He also had the writing in the middle of the page so you can read it easily. This a book for kids who love horses. It tells how the horse is frightened at first but then later she has a foal and gets closer to the people who own her.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous Illustrations to be Remembered Forever, March 31, 1999

By A Customer

I'm in high school now, and among the thousands of books I consider my favorites, this ranks highly. A children's book it may be called, but if you open up your heart and memories, its story and illustrations (beautiful!!) will stay with you forever.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, October 25, 2000

By A Customer

I'm a college student now, and I first read this book years ago in elementary school. I think it's always going to stick out in my mind as one of those classics that I'll never really outgrow. I recommend it to anyone wanting a good story.