Customer Reviews

Snow Riders

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
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Every child knows that snow is magical. Remember waking up after snow had fallen during the night and just being able to FEEL that it had snowed without even looking? Remember it's crispy crunch under your boots? Remember how brilliant and flickering the stars were on a cold winter's night with the wind hushing in the pine trees? If you can remember these things this book will happily transport you back to those magical days. If you don't have snow memories then you had better read this book and make some! Children will love this and readily relate to its magical spell because they know all things are possible with snow. The story begins as Matthew sees the first feathery flakes of a snowfall and he and his sister, Molly, speculate about school being cancelled the next morning. Sure enough, a deep blanket of snow falls during the night and school is called off. The creative kids build a pair of snow horses rather than snowmen. (From the gorgeous double spread watercolor paintings you can see how to craft these beauties yourself and there's not any heavy lifting like there is with a tall snowman.) At night, Matthew and Molly slip outside and mount their horses, holding imaginary reins. Much to their delight the horses come to life and take them on an incredible moonlit ride through the snowy wonderland of a moonlit winter landscape. I grew up in Ohio where the artist grew up and where the author currently lives and it is certainly magical the way these two have captured every nuance of a snowy winter, the sounds, silences, smells and textures, the cold and the exhilaration. They both remember childhood so clearly and we find it springing off the pages of this wonderful book, astride two snow white horses with shaggy fetlocks and flying manes and tails. Share this joyful book with your kids and get out there, if you're lucky enough, and build a couple of snow horses, too!

A book that will keep your child wondering if snow ponies really DO come alive when night comes along...... the kids loved it and I loved reading it with them.

I have to agree with another review on here... This book would do well, even with out the story line, although, the story line is very sweet.
I have read this many times to my son and we both absolutely love it. It's one of those books that never gets old and will definately be a hand me down to future generations. Well done!

beautiful watercolor illustrations for a lovely children's story!
Mary Whyte is a prolific, fantastic watercolor artist.
As a 76 year old I enjoy adding her work to my treasured collection.

The watercolor pictures in this book are awsome! I would appreciate it even if there were no story; however, the tale of two children creating snow horses that come alive once they climb on their backs is wonderful. My granddaughter's eyes got as big as saucers the first time we read the book.Cudos! This should become a classic.

What a charming way to combine a child's love of horses and snow. The illustrations are like riding in a winter wonderland. It is great for kids who love snow and for kids in warmer climates who can only imagine playing in the snow. Children can use stories like this to write their own fantasies and to explore artistic abilities. This book works well with 10,000 White Horses, a book in poetic prose where a child pretends to ride white horses rising out of the sea foam. Excerpts are on my website. It is available there and at Amazon.

This book has a great story. It truly captures the imagination of the children reading it. My daughter had me read it again and again. She just could not get enough of it. She loves horses, so the thought of getting on a snow horse and taking off was a marvelous thought. She wanted to make one as soon as we finished the book, the only problem was it was summer. She made me promise we could make one after the first good snow fall. She still talks about that book. It is truly a book to remember.