Horses

Historical fiction set in the time of Kublai Khan. When soldiers from the emperor's army invade a young girl's village, she disguises herself as a boy and joins them on their journey in order to maintain a connection with her beautiful white mare.

Marguerite Henry wrote several Chincoteague stories about the wild ponies of this Virginia island. See also Stormy, Misty's Foal,  Misty's Twilight and Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague. Visit Misty of Chincoteague Foundation's site for some background on the islands and the author.

This was one of my most treasured books as a girl, and I still have it! I used to love flipping through the chapters, admiring the paintings of various breeds. And now, looking at it through the eyes of an educator, I have a new appreciation for the author's prose, rich with narrative and historical details. I look forward to reading it with my boys.

There are 11 books in this series (see all), this the first which was published in 1936. The books are meant for young children, with copious illustrations and short portions of text.

A fun introduction to drawing horses. It's focus on the features of different breeds means budding artists will also learn to distinguish between them.