Wild Horse Winter [Hardcover]

Tetsuya Honda (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Based on an actual event, this suspenseful story tells the miraculous saga of a herd of beautiful wild horses and details the life of a young colt as it matures and follows the lead of its protective mother to overcome a wild, raging blizzard in the dramatic conclusion of their journey. The soft paintings combine with the simple text to bring a vanishing breed vividly to life. A wonderful book for reading aloud or for sharing, the story subtly parallels the growth of all creatures and underscores the strong bonds that exist between parent and child.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

According to an endnote, this book tells of the real-life wild horses of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, who survive brutal winters by allowing the snow to bury them completely. In spare, imagistic prose (an English translation of the Japanese text), Honda relates the horses' annual climatic battle from a colt's point of view. The story starts out auspiciously, its short, declarative sentences recalling Hemingway's tales of the outdoors. Unfortunately, the text is ultimately rather flat, and gets bogged down in a blow-by-blow account: the scarce food, the first snow, the deepening drifts, the life-sustaining burial, the eventual trek to the sea to feast on kelp. And rather than culminating in a hoped-for dramatic climax, the narrative peters out lamely with the intimation of spring's arrival. Honda's full-spread watercolors, in wintry hues of ice blue and white, offer a sweeping, impressionistic panorama of the herd plowing through the drifts. But even though the palette is mitigated by a chromatic shift to reds in the last spread, the art, like the text, tends to become repetitive. Ages 2-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

--ARIZONA REPUBLIC, February 1993
This bone-chilling but satisfying story of a colt and the herd he lives with is based on actual events.

The wild Dosanko horses of Japan often face harsh winters, and the colt must endure one of them in his first year of life. Over the centuries, the Dosanko have developed shorter bodies, longer hair and tougher hooves--and the instinctual behavior that can save their lives.

The author-illustrator, who lives in Japan, makes the horses' survival a real cause for joy. Ages 2-8.

--BOOKLIST, January 15, 1993
The Dosanko horses of Japan are an ancient breed with a unique behavior pattem when winter blizards arrive: they bury themselves in the snow to stay warm and protected until the storm abates. Wild Horse Winter focuses on the life of a young Dosanko colt born on the spring prairie, where the weather is pleasant and the food is plentiful. When winter comes and there's no food to be found, the herd leaves the prairie in search of nourishment. Along the way, the horses encounter a terrible storm and bury themselves in the snowdrifts until it's safe to continue on their journey. Finally, they reach the sea, where there's plenty of seaweed for food and long stretches of sand where the young colt can gallop and frolic. The Asian background of the author-artist is evident in the spare and simple text and in the beautifully fluid lines and dramatic, bold colors of the illustrations. The story is quite suspenseful and dramatic and may prove somewhat frightening for the youngest listeners, but it's a wonderful example of how wild animals instinctively know how in survive under the harshest conditions.

--SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, August 1993
The Dosanko horses roam wild on a Japanese island, trying to survive a bleak winter. Honda's dramatic paintings portray a stark existence and a harshness of weather and environment. The band of animals search for food in the snow, while the text focuses on a colt following his mother. Readers will agonize over their journey and breathe sighs of relief when they reach the sea and find food. Some might consider this story an allegory for life, as the horses pursue a quest and reach their goal. Originally published in Japan, this quiet mood piece could fit into a winter-themed story time, but is better suited to one-on-one sharing.

--THE CHILDREN'S BOOKWATCH, November 3, 1993
Based on an actual event, this suspenseful story tells the miraculous saga of a herd of beautiful wild horses and details the life of a young colt as it matures and follows the lead of its protective mother to overcome a wild, raging blizzard in the dramatic conclusion of their journey. The soft paintings combine with the simple text to bring a vanishing breed vividly to life. Wild Horse Winter is a wonderful book for reading aloud or for sharing, the story subtly parallels the growth of all creatures and underscores the strong bonds that exist between parent and child.



The story is quite suspenseful and dramatic. Booklist

Wild Horse Winter is a wonderful book for reading aloud or for sharing. The Children's Bookwatch

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811802515
• ISBN-13: 978-0811802512
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,457,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 5 Star Book But Perhaps a Narrow Niche, December 20, 2001

By 

Terrie (Little Chute, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wild Horse Winter (Paperback)

This book was a five star experience for me. It has beautiful illustrations that totally transported me to the wind and snow blinding atmosphere of a blizzard. I could feel the sturdy bodies of the wild horses it depicts struggling against the elements. I could hear there huffing and snuffling groans as they fought to survive in the harsh environment and I could hear their breathing as the steam rose from their warm nostrils while they stood completely buried in the drifted snow. The artist and author, Tesuya Honda has done a brilliant job of depicting a very rarified experience and made it come to life. It's positively magical. The book tells the story from the perspective of one young colt who is facing his first winter. It turns out to be an especially rough winter. The horses in this book are based on the real wild horses of Japan called Dosanko horses that are found on the island of Hokkaido. The ancestors of these horses were brought to Hokkaido over 300 years ago by merchants and fishermen. When the humans left in the cold winter months, they left the horses behind to fend for themselves. Many did not survive, but the ones that did developed into a new breed - the Dosanko. There are only about one thousand Dosanko horses in the world today. The story in this book about the Dosankos' experience with blizzard conditions is a recurring experience in real life. Read this fascinating book to learn the incredible way that these small horses have adapted to survive.
This book succeeds on several levels. It is a beautiful, evocative work of art. It is a thrilling story. It introduces us to a little-known species and celebrates the unique qualities of that species. It is a great look at the working of instinct among animals. It shows the strong bond that exists between parent and child as the mother horse protects her young colt during the storm. There are all kinds of wonderful conversation starters in this book to get children thinking about ecology and the preservation of rare species and also about mankind's responsibility to the animals we employ. Both adults and children who like horses will LOVE this book, but anyone who enjoys wildlife will certainly appreciate this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wild Horse Winter, January 4, 2000

By 

Wendy Ewald (Trinidad, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wild Horse Winter (Paperback)

My five year old daughter loved this book particularly for the illustrations. The illustrator's use of color really captured her eye. The story itself is based on fact and is quite suspenseful and a little scary. We definately felt compelled to find out how the story ends!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars very well illustrated, sorta above my 2yr olds head on the story line., March 20, 2009

By 

T. norris (MD) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wild Horse Winter (Paperback)

I'd say this book is not for anyone under 5. Its not a "happy" book until the end.