Where Horses Run Free: A Dream for the American Mustang [Hardcover]

Joy Cowley (Author), Layne Johnson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-It's impossible to read this book with a dry eye. Poignant oil paintings, most covering full spreads, depict the collective fear, flight, captivity, and dejection of the herds of "useless" wild mustangs corralled onto Bureau of Land Management feedlots. Focusing on one horse and her cowboy rescuer (identified in the flap copy as the real-life Dayton O. Hyde), Cowley and Johnson do an admirable job of condensing the story of Hyde's dream, doggedly fulfilled, of creating an 11,000-acre South Dakota sanctuary for these displaced animals. Sentimental? Sure (and the irritating, stanzalike layout of the text doesn't help). However, readers come away with a feeling of overwhelming optimism shown by one man's ability to correct an injustice. The illustrations superbly convey the magnificence of the wilderness and the adaptation of rejuvenated, galloping residents to it.
John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590780620
• ISBN-13: 978-1590780626
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 11.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,483,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Paintings!, April 19, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Where Horses Run Free: A Dream for the American Mustang (Hardcover)

Joy Cowley's text eloquently tells the story of real-life hero Dayton Hyde and his rescue of the American Mustang. However, it's the illustrations which raise this book to a work of art. Where Horses Run Free includes page after page of simply stunning paintings which transcend the average picture book, giving us a rich and rewarding experience. And it's been said before, but it bears repeating - Layne Johnson is one of today's best illustrators. Where Horses Run Free will be enjoyed on many levels by a wide range of readers - from elementary school children to adults who love horses.