Rocking Horse Christmas [Hardcover]

Mary Pope Osborne (Author), Ned Bittinger (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

A rocking horse, outgrown by its little boy owner, faithfully waits by the attic window for his friend to return. This poignant tale, filled with magic and wonder, is sure to become a new Christmas classic. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3. A story that's as rich in the spirit of Christmas as it is spare in its choice of words. Thrilled with his present of a rocking horse, a boy takes all sorts of wonderful imaginary trips. As he grows up he moves on to other interests. Meanwhile, the horse laments his playmate's absence. Finally, it is relegated to the attic. Years later, a small boy discovers the horse with delight. For this had been his father's horse, his "oldest friend in the world." And soon this new boy and the old horse gallop away to their own adventures. Bittinger's oil paintings on linen are rich in palette and detail. The cover and the title-page illustrations showing Santa making and delivering the horse might well go unnoticed, but they are intrinsic to this story and so much a part of its charm. The scenes where the boy's imaginative play surrounds him with cowboys, knights, race horses, and jungle animals are so alive with motion and energy that they fairly leap off the page. The unnamed youngster could be any boy and this horse could be any toy, any treasure, that enables a child to become an adult made richer by memories and imagination. The theme of toys outgrown and put aside but not forgotten is so well-done here that it will strike a chord with many children.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic; 1st edition (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590929550
• ISBN-13: 978-0590929554
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 10.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,077,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"I'm one of those very lucky people who absolutely loves what they do for a living. There is no career better suited to my eccentricities, strengths, and passions than that of a children's book author."--Mary Pope Osborne

Mary Pope Osborne is the author of the popular Magic Tree House series. She works with her husband Will and her sister Natalie on the nonfiction companion series, Magic Tree House Research Guides. Many of her books have been named to best-books lists.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than Another Christmas Story, July 28, 2000

By 

Gillian M. Kendall (Leeds, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rocking Horse Christmas (Hardcover)

A small boy finds Shadow, a rocking horse, under the Christmas Tree. In his imagination, the two ride to the West, joust, race Seattle Slew in the Kentucky Derby, and go on safari. But then the inevitable happens: the boy starts to grow up, as boys always have and always will (it's at this point I have a hard time reading this to my five year old without pretending there's something in my eye). Shadow ends up in the attic. Years pass.

And then the boy's own little boy finds Shadow (as I read this part to my son, there's more pretending that I have something in my eye). Shadow's spirit returns, and they "flew through the sky all Christmas Eve and didn't come home until dawn."

The illustrations of this book are some of the best I've ever seen; the facts of growing up are utterly convincing. This book is delightful and devastating. And there's no need to wait for Christmas to read it: we're Jewish, and we read it all year round.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure Is Found!, November 6, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Rocking Horse Christmas (Hardcover)

I am a Christmas Freak, I will completely admit. However, I LOVED this story. As I read it, I could almost see exactly where I was being taken as a reader. I knew I was about to be pulled in, but I loved every moment of it! The story, quite simply, is one which could be said of any child's favorite Christmas toy. Eventually, that toy is replaced by something -- be it another toy or simply the heartbreak of every child's growing up. Reminiscent of Silverstein's _The Giving Tree,_ the rocking horse keeps vigil, waiting for the little boy who used to have great adventures with him everyday. A happy ending rewards readers who know in their hearts that it is coming (but keep a tissue handy!). A beautifully illustrated book, _Rocking Horse Christmas_ is a holiday treasure to add to any collection!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Story, Beautiful Illustrations, December 2, 2005

By 

Flame_926 "flame_926" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rocking Horse Christmas (bkshelf) (Paperback)

I would recommend this book to a person who enjoyed the book "The Polar Express." "Rocking Horse Christmas" is a very poignant story about a rocking horse loved by a boy but that is then forgotten. Mixed in is a story of growing up and friendship that will pull at the heartstrings of an adult with children.

Suitable for a second-grade reader but a story that will be cherished by any age. Highly recommended.