The Literary Horse: When Legends Come to Life Exhibit on Connecticut Now!

Thanks to the Plainville Public Library and Susan Rooney, Plainville's hay-mazing children's librarian, PPL's Literary Horse exhibit got a spot on Connecticut Now! Thank you, Susan, and thanks to the Plainville community for trotting on out to visit!



Would you like to bring The Literary Horse: When Legends Come to Life exhibit to your public, school, or university library? Visit The Literary Horse Exhibit website or email me to learn how!

How a Jack Russell Terrier Saved Christmas: Olive, the Other Reindeer, by J. Otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh

Leave it to a Jack Russell terrier to save Christmas – and to give marching orders to Santa and his reindeer!

In J. Otto Siebold and Vivian Walsh's picture book, Olive, the Other Reindeer, a Russell (or Russell-lookalike!) named Olive mishears the line from the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer song, “All of the other reindeer” as “Olive, the other reindeer,” decides that she must be a reindeer, and promptly takes two buses and reports for duty at the North Pole. Santa and the reindeer tie Olive to the flying sleigh with a ribbon so that she can join them in delivering presents on Christmas Eve. But when the team encounters a series of silly mishaps, Olive uses her unique abilities to keep them on course and guide them safely home.

If a Jack Russell manages your barn or if your young and young-at-heart readers just love a dog or dogs of any breed, Olive, the Other Reindeer offers an endearing and funny adventure, brought to life with exuberant, ultra-hip cartoon illustrations. Olive's story was also adapted into a sharp animated feature by Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons. So whether you prefer books or the silver screen, get ready: this determined terrier will trot some "dogged" cheer into your holiday!

Looking for more horse-themed books, music, and movies for the holidays? Try these great titles:

* And Winter Came (album), by Enya
* Calico the Wonder Horse, or The Saga of Stewy Stinker (children's book), by Virginia Lee Burton
* David Copperfield (novel), by Charles Dickens
* A Horse for Hanukkah (children's book), by Myriam Halberstam, illustrated by Nancy Cote
* Ernest's Special Christmas (children's book), by Laura Barnes, illustrated by Carol Camburn
* Jingle Bells (books, music, and history), by James Lord Pierpont and various artists
* Jingle-Jingle (children's book), by Nicola Smee
* The Hearts of Horses (novel), by Molly Gloss
* A Little House Christmas: Holiday Stories from the Little House Books, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
* Little Women (novel), by Louisa May Alcott
* The Magical Christmas Horse (children's book), by Mary Higgins Clark
* Out Stealing Horses (novel), by Per Petterson
* Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song), by Robert May
* The Saddle Club #13: Starlight Christmas, by Bonnie Bryant
* Sleigh Ride (song), by Leroy Anderson
* Snowflake (step-up reader), by Suzanne Weyn
* Stubby Pringle's Christmas (kids' novel), by Jack Schaefer
* Twas the Night Before Christmas (poem, book, song, and movie), by Clement Moore and various artists
* Winter's Tale, by Mark Helprin
* Winter Wonderland (song), by Richard Smith and various artists

Happy National Day of the Horse!

Happy Horse-Day! In America, December 13th is the National Day of the Horse. No matter what country you live in, though, if you love horses, grab a great horse book, give your favorite horse a hug, and click over to HorseChannel.com's National Day of the Horse page for more info and activities to help you celebrate our planet's extraordinary equines!

The Literary Horse Exhibit in Horse Back Magazine: Pin Oak Charity Horse Show Celebrates 67 years as it Steps Up and Steps Out for Children in 2012, by Roxanne Cook

The Literary Horse: When Legends Come to Life exhibit has trotted into Horseback magazine! The article, Pin Oak Charity Horse Show Celebrates 67 years as it Steps Up and Steps Out for Children in 2012, highlights the exhibit's proud participation in the 2012 Pin Oak Charity Horse Show's Education Days events.

Read the article online at Horseback magazine, and mark your calendar for the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show and The Literary Horse exhibit in Houston this spring!

The Solace of Horses: Misery, by Anton Chekhov

The days darken early now. The darkness, savage and eager, deepens the cold, hardens the ice. For those who gather around cheery hearth fires or congregate in the glow of menorah candles and Christmas lights, the dark and the cold are conquered things, no more than strong underlines of a season dedicated to family, friendship, and enduring, renewing joy.

For others, though, the holidays are a time when the darkness of loss and the biting chill of pain grip them most deeply. Whatever the date, whatever the reason, talking about it often helps. And for those times when it feels like human friends don't - or can't - understand, it may help, at least a little, to talk to a horse.

In Anton Chekhov's story story, Misery, a man whose son passed away finds solace in talking to his horse. In an insightful review and analysis on his blog, Will Hansen, Assistant Curator of Special Collections at Duke University, writes that the main character, Iona, "...can only find sympathy and relief from an animal who cannot understand him, not from the humans who shy away when he mentions his dead son - but there is also something tender and natural in this ending, in this kind of benediction that’s felt in the breath on Iona’s hands, in the thawing of the heart to which it leads."

You can read Misery online at About.com's Classical Literature library and in print collections of Chekhov's short stories, including the Norton's Critical Edition, edited by Ralph Matlaw. Be sure to check out Discovery News, too: Jennifer Viegas's article, Horses Never Forget Human Friends, presents a study that shows that horses may understand us - and what we say - better than we might think.

Lovely Weather for a Sleigh Ride: Sleigh Ride, by Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish

It was in a sweltering July in 1946 when Leroy Anderson began composing the orchestral piece Sleigh Ride. But since then, the music - alone or paired with lyrics by Mitchell Parish - has transported young and old into a horse-drawn sleigh singing over silvery winter fields during the holidays.

One of the top ten most popular pieces of holiday music played around the world, Sleigh Ride has been performed by thousands of orchestras, bands, and singers. For recordings, check out the Boston Pops Orchestra's collection and browse Wikipedia's list of vocal versions, which includes Air Supply, Garth Brooks, Chicago, Harry Connick Jr., Bing Crosby, Hilary Duff, Ella Fitzgerald, the Muppets, the Three Tenors, and Hayley Westenra.



Sleigh Ride
Music by Leroy Anderson, Lyrics by Mitchell Parish

Just hear those sleigh bells jingling
Ring ting tingling too.
Come on, it's lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together with you.

Outside the snow is falling
And friends are calling 'Yoo-hoo.'
Come on, it's lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together with you.

Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up,
Let's go, Let's look at the show
We're riding in a wonderland of snow.

Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up,
It's grand, Just holding your hand,
We're gliding along with a song
Of a wintry fairy land.

Our cheeks are nice and rosy
And comfy cozy are we
We're snuggled up together
Like two birds of a feather would be.

Let's take that road before us
And sing a chorus or two
Come on, it's lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together with you.

There's a birthday party
At the home of Farmer Gray
It'll be the perfect ending a perfect day
We'll be singing the songs
We love to sing without a single stop,
At the fireplace while we watch
The chestnuts pop.
Pop pop pop.

There's a happy feeling
Nothing in the world can buy,
When they pass around the chocolate
And the pumpkin pie
It'll nearly be like a picture print
By Currier and Ives
These wonderful things are the things
We remember all through our lives.

Holiday Books for Horse Lovers: Top Ten Christmas, Hanukkah, and Winter Holiday Themed Horse Books

Whether you're looking for a book to give as a gift, a story to share with your children or students, or a tale to curl up with in a quiet moment, these ten titles will be sure to write - and sing! - some horse-drawn happiness into your holidays.

10. Jingle Bells, by Eren Blanquet Unten: (Kids) Teach your young horse-lovers how to sing Jingle Bells with this dazzling pop-up book! The text is simply the first two verses of the song, but the intricate and ingenious pop-up illustrations - most of which star a merry and spirited horse - will whirl young and young-at-heart carolers into the exhilarating fun of the song's sleigh ride.

9. A Horse for Hanukkah, by Myriam Halberstam, illustrated by Nancy Cote: (Kids) Hannah's wish finally comes true: her parents give her a horse for Hanukkah. The horse, Golda, is sweet and curious, lives in their apartment, and even speaks Hebrew. But when Golda starts causing horse-sized trouble during the family's celebration, Hannah wonders if her wish might have brought her more than she bargained for! A delightful romp with dreamlike illustrations, this is a book that belongs on every wish list. Special order A Horse for Hanukkah from its German publisher, Ariella Books, and look for it in US bookstores.

8. A Little House Christmas: Holiday Stories from the Little House Books, by Laura Ingalls Wilder: (Kids) Celebrate Christmas on the prairie with the Ingalls family! This book includes eight heart-warming stories and songs about Christmas on the American frontier, but horse-lovers will be drawn to two stories in particular. In Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus, Laura and Mary learn that Santa sometimes drives a pack mule and wagon - and that he sometimes needs help bringing Christmas to every family, too. In The Christmas Horses, Pa's dream of getting a new team of horses can only come true if, as Ma says, "we all wish for horses, and nothing but horses." Will Laura and Mary set aside their Christmas lists and wish for horses for Pa? This read-aloud edition beautifully unfurls the stories; older children can also read the tales themselves in the chapter book version, Christmas Stories.

7. The Saddle Club #13: Starlight Christmas, by Bonnie Bryant: (Kids) It wouldn't be the holidays for The Saddle Club trio - 12 year old Carole Hanson and Stevie Lake, and 13 year old Lisa Atwood - without a sleigh-full of pratfalls and surprises. In Starlight Christmas, Carole's dad enlists Stevie and Lisa's help in finding the perfect Christmas gift for Carole: a horse of her own. But the girls have to keep the gift a secret, too, which isn't easy, since Carole is working with the local veterinarian at the horse's barn. Meanwhile, the girls aren't the only ones who are planning a surprise: the club's foe, the spoiled Veronica diAngelo, is trying to trick the girls and their friends, Phil and A.J., into missing Pine Hollow Stables' beloved annual holiday event, the Starlight Ride. Starlight Christmas is a merry, lively read that celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah, and if your favorite horse-lover isn't yet a card-carrying, saddle-toting member of The Saddle Club, it's an inviting introduction to the rest of the 100-book series.

6. The Hearts of Horses, by Molly Gloss: (Teens, Adults) Fall in love this holiday season with The Hearts of Horses! Leaving behind her troubled past, nineteen year old Martha Lessen sets out to become a "footloose" gentler and trainer of horses for the ranchers and homesteaders of eastern Oregon, but finds among them a community, a home, and love that lasts. Gloss tells Martha's story with the fierce and sweeping beauty, honesty, and detail of an epic Western, and weaves into it the challenges, changes, and profound losses both people and the nation faced during the World War I era. Poignant without being sentimental, honest without losing hope, reading The Hearts of Horses is the kind of experience that, as one of the characters says, "just [goes] right down into my heart to shake it awake.” Holiday readers may make a timely connection, sharing a holiday season with Martha and the ranchers, and seeing Martha's world from horseback as she "rides the circle" of ranches on Christmas Day.

5.  David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens: (Teens, Adults) Once you've finished reading A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens' story of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge's encounter with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, be sure to pick up another of his masterpieces, David Copperfield. Beginning with the now-famous line, "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show," Dickens' narrator, David "Trot" Copperfield tells the story of the friendships and betrayals, the bright ideals and harsh realities, and the acts of love and vengeance that shaped his life. The book includes lavishly written holiday scenes and takes place in the riotously horsey world of Britain in the early 19th century. Go ahead and "Trot" right into these books any time - A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield are available in print editions and as free downloads at Project Gutenberg.

4. Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott: (Kids, Teens, Adults) With their father away serving as a chaplain in the Union Army during the Civil War, the four March family sisters - diligent Meg, feisty Jo, artistic Amy, and gentle Beth - and their mother must struggle against poverty, society's expectations, and, at times, their own changing natures to achieve their dreams. The story opens with the March family's Christmas, and later introduces Alcott's unforgettable horses: Ellen Tree, Laurie the "centaur", and Jo's Arabians, stabled in her castle. A classic since its first publication in 1868, Little Women is available today in print editions for children and adults and as a free download from Project Gutenberg!

3. Snowflake, by Suzanne Weyn: (Kids) In this Breyer Stablemates step-up reader, best friends Emily, Anna, and Mandy welcome a rescued Percheron, whom they name Snowflake, to Fox Creek Farm. The three girls feed, groom, and care for Snowflake, and when they discover that none of the farm's winter blankets will fit him, they decide to raise money to buy the horse a blanket of his own. Finding an old sleigh in the barn and discovering that Snowflake knows how to pull it, the girls, the farm owners, and Snowflake offer one-horse-open-sleigh rides, raising enough money to buy Snowflake's blanket and to build him a run-in shed. Cheerful watercolors illustrate this inspiring story and a closing page with facts about Percherons will encourage readers to continue learning more about horses and horse care.

2. Calico the Wonder Horse, or The Saga of Stewy Stinker, by Virginia Lee Burton: (Kids) When Stewy Stinker and his Badlands gang hold up Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, it's up to Calico the Wonder Horse, "the smartest, fastest horse in all of Cactus County," and her cowboy, Hank, to save Christmas and bring the villains to justice. Caldecott Medal winning author Virginia Lee Burton's witty Western dialogue and captivating comic-book format will make this tall tale a bullseye with any young audience!

1. Ernest's Special Christmas, by Laura Barnes, illustrated by Carol Camburn: (Kids, Teens, Adults) During a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, the miniature donkey, Ernest, notices that all of the animals are in the barn except his friend, the old draft horse, Chester. Ernest goes out to search for Chester and finds the horse lying almost buried in the snow, too weak and too tired to stand. Ernest is neither large enough nor strong enough to help Chester alone, but with the help of all of the animals in the barnyard - the cows, the horses, the donkeys, and even the birds - they are able to raise the big horse onto his feet again. The story, which Barnes closes with the lines, "With love and determination they had helped their friend. ...This was the best gift of all," captures the true spirit of the holiday season: selfless, compassionate, and joyful in fellowship. Camburn's heart-breakingly sweet watercolor illustrations bring such life and expression to the characters that readers of all ages will find themselves reaching out to help the animals - and reaching out to read Ernest's Special Christmas again and again for years to come.

And a bonus book, Pegasus's Pick: Jingle-Jingle by Nicola Smee: Your horse will love this book as much as you and your family will! In Jingle-Jingle, Mr. Horse invites Cat, Dog, Pig, and Duck to ride in his sleigh - but when he jumps in himself, he also discovers how much fun a sleigh ride with friends can be. A hilarious, playful, and friendly story with huggably adorable illustrations, this book is perfect for your young horse-lover's first or second jingle bell season, though it will brighten and cheer the spirits of anyone - human or equine - who reads it.

Looking for more horse-themed books, music, and movies for the holidays? Give these titles a whirl!

* And Winter Came (album), by Enya

* Jingle Bells (books, music, and history), by James Lord Pierpont and various artists

* The Magical Christmas Horse (children's book), by Mary Higgins Clark

* Olive, the Other Reindeer (children's book - about a Jack Russell who thinks she's a reindeer), by Vivian Walsh

* Out Stealing Horses (novel), by Per Petterson

* Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song), by Robert May

* Sleigh Ride (song), by Leroy Anderson
* Stubby Pringle's Christmas (kids' novel), by Jack Schaefer

* Twas the Night Before Christmas (poem, book, song, and movie), by Clement Moore and various artists

* Winter's Tale, by Mark Helprin

* Winter Wonderland (song), by Richard Smith and various artists

Celebrate Thanksgiving Day with Horses: Over the River and Through the Wood - A Boy's Thanksgiving Day, by Lydia Maria Child, illustrated by Matt Tavares

Over the river, and through the wood,
To Grandfather's house we go;
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
through the white and drifted snow...
    - from A Boy's Thanksgiving Day, by Lydia Maria Child

Since 1844, the sound of children singing the words of Lydia Maria Child's poem, A Boy's Thanksgiving Day - better known as Over the river and through the wood - has looped and wafted from windows alongside the scents of cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. This year, artist Matt Tavares and Candlewick press offer a dashing addition to families' Thanksgiving traditions: a picture book titled Over the River and Through the Wood, which pairs each verse of Child's classic poem with bright and sprightly full-page watercolor-and-pencil illustrations. Echoing the language of Child's time and sparkling with Norman Rockwell-like detail, the book may well carry your young readers - and singers - away into history in the rushing sleigh, among the snowy pines, and by the busy New England town, right beside the poem's characters and their spirited horse!

Interested in the poem's own journey over the river and through the wood? Read the full text of Lydia Maria Child's poem and listen to a version of the song below. Check out Child's biography and visit the real "Grandfather's house" online: Child's grandfather's home in Medford, Massachusetts, which has been restored and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Also, be sure to trot on over to artist Matt Tavares' website and watch this video that shows him creating the book's springing dapple grey...

A Boy's Thanksgiving Day

by Lydia Maria Child, 1844

Over the river, and through the wood,

To Grandfather's house we go;

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh

through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river, and through the wood,
To Grandfather's house away!
We would not stop for doll or top,
For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood—
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes and bites the nose
As over the ground we go.

Over the river, and through the wood,
With a clear blue winter sky,
The dogs do bark, and children hark,
As we go jingling by.

Over the river, and through the wood,
To have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring, "Ting-a-ling-ding",
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river, and through the wood,
No matter for winds that blow,
Or if we get the sleigh upset
Into a bank of snow

Over the river, and through the wood,
To see little John and Ann.
We will kiss them all, and play snow-ball,
And stay as long as we can.

Over the river, and through the wood
Trot fast, my dapple-gray!
Spring over the ground like a hunting-hound,
For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood—
And straight through the barnyard gate,
We seem to go extremely slow,
It is so hard to wait!

Over the river, and through the wood,
Old Jowler hears our bells.
He shakes his pow, with a loud bow-wow,
And thus the news he tells.

Over the river, and through the wood,
When Grandmother sees us come,
She will say, "Oh, dear, the children are here,
Bring a pie for everyone."

Over the river, and through the wood—
Now Grandmother's cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

Calling All Little Cowboys and Cowgirls: Tex - A Book for Little Dreamers, by Dorie McCullough Lawson

Do you know children between the ages of two and five who love to imagine that they're cowboys or cowgirls? Then you might want to round up a copy of Dorie McCullough Lawson's Tex: A Book for Little Dreamers.

In Tex, a young boy named Luke imagines that he's a cowboy working on a ranch out West. Lawson describes his day's chores in simple, eloquent text - "He rides. He irrigates. He rounds up the herd." - and illustrates each task with colorful, kid-friendly photos. The pages invite questions and conversation: you'll be talking tractors, cowdogs, and horses-in-the-ranch-house until the cows (and Luke!) come home, curl up, and fall contentedly asleep.

Tex is a prize pick for any little cow-kid. Pair it with Virginia Lee Burton's Calico the Wonder Horse, or the Saga of Stewy Stinker and Erica Silverman's Theodor (Seuss) Geisel Honor Award winning Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa series to rustle up a horseback cattle drive of fun!

**As a bonus, during the 2011 holiday season, sharing Tex can be a gift twice over. On Trafalgar Square's book blog, the publisher announces this book drive in support of the Pajama Program:

"Help us celebrate the Pajama Program’s tenth-year pajama-and-book drive! Trafalgar Square Books is donating 10 sets of jammies and 10 copies of its new children’s book TEX by Dorie McCullough Lawson (appropriately, a bedtime story!) in honor of 10 years of the Pajama Program’s efforts in getting books and warm sleepwear to the children who need them most. In addition, 10% of all TEX book sales from TSB website www.HorseandRiderBooks.com through January 1, 2012, will go to the Pajama Program.

The Pajama Program provides new books and new pajamas to children in need, many who are waiting and hoping to be adopted. These children live in various settings including group homes, shelters, and temporary housing, and are shuffled often from one place to another. Many of them have been abandoned, abused, or neglected. Most of these children have never enjoyed the simple comfort of having a mother or father tuck them in at bedtime with warm, clean pajamas and a bedtime story. Some of the children the Pajama Program serves are living with their families below the poverty level, in desperate need of food, clothing and shelter. Pajama Program has 79 chapters in 42 States and operates three (3) Reading Centers: New York, NY, Yonkers, NY and Red Bank, NJ. Around the U.S. their local chapters have begun organizing reading groups for the children they serve in their communities.

Pajama Program celebrates its tenth birthday serving children this year. They have now provided more than 1 MILLION new pajamas and new books to children in need nationwide.

For more: www.pajamaprogram.org facebook.com/PajamaProgram twitter.com/pajamaprogram"

An Oasis for Arabian Horse Aficionados: "New Arabian horse library officially opened" via Horsetalk and the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library

If you want to read or learn the entire story of the Arabian horse, you have a long journey ahead: the Arabian is an ancient breed, with a culturally rich history that unfurls across many countries - and centuries. Yet now there's a new oasis on the horizon for Arabian horse aficionados. At the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library, Horsetalk reports, librarians, researchers, equine experts, and enthusiasts have gathered the world's largest collection of materials about the Arabian horse.

The collection spans 300 years of Arabian horse history, and items range from books and movies to artwork and photographs to letters, manuscripts, stud books, training manuals, and "all known Arabian horse periodicals ...including foreign language publications." Located on the campus of the California State Polytechnic Institute in Pomona, the library is free and open to the public.

Ready to start - or continue - following the tale of the Arabian horse? Read the Horsetalk article, "New Arabian horse library officially opened," visit the Kellogg Arabian Horse Library website, and, along the way, create a mini-oasis whenever you wish by reading classic short stories and novels about Arabian horses like these:

* The Black Stallion, by Walter Farley
* Broiefort, the Black Arabian (from The Wonder-Book of Horses), adapted by James Baldwin
* The Enchanted Horse (from The Arabian Nights), translated by Andrew Lang
* King of the Wind, by Marguerite Henry
* Rakush and His Master (from The Wonder-Book of Horses), adapted by James Baldwin
* Samirah's Ride: The Story of an Arabian Filly, by Annie Wedekind

Yeehaw! A New Photo in Dennis Brouse on Horse Training: Bonding with Your Horse through Gentle Leadership, by Dennis Brouse and Fran Lynghaug

Yeehaw! A photo I took during a Literary Horse shoot at Chasin Dreams Farm, the home of Personal Ponies of Maryland and Personal Ponies’ national director, Denise Chasin, will be published in the new book, Dennis Brouse on Horse Training: Bonding with Your Horse through Gentle Leadership!

It was an honor and such a treat to take those photos: Personal Ponies is a 20-year-old national nonprofit organization whose volunteer members provide trained UK Shetland Ponies to families of children with disabilities, special needs, and terminal illnesses, completely without charge, to be the child’s trustworthy companion and forever friend. Check out the photo in the book, read the Great Books for Horse Lovers post about Personal Ponies - Horses Make a Place Complete: Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott and Personal Ponies - and learn how *you* can help make “pony magic” at www.PersonalPonies.org!

Holiday - and Everyday! - Treats for Horses: The Original Book of Horse Treats, by June Evers and the Portland Kitchen Libraries

Celebrate the holidays - or any days! - with horses. June Evers makes it easy and fun to make equi-centric special meals and goodies in her cookbook, The Original Book of Horse Treats: Recipes You Can Make at Home for Your Horse.

The recipes are straightforward and friendly. Even novice adult and teen chefs can navigate the step-by-step directions, while younger kids can help with mixing, rolling, and, of course, garnishing the treats with grape halves, peppermint candies, and carrot tops.

One warning, though: I made a few of Evers' treats for my horse, Pegasus, and I found them so endearing that I thought, "Gee, I should make these for all of the horses at the barn! I could make cookies for the people, too. With some music and games, we could have a party..." The Original Book of Horse Treats inspires and invites you to celebrate, decorate, and bring grown-ups and kids and horses together to be merry, like a kind of Martha Stewart of stables.

I know, I know, horses don't care how their food looks, and like almost all of the things we give them, treats are so many gifts of the magi. So call it a horse-friendly way to share the "extra" roasted carrots, baked apples, and crushed candy canes from your favorite holiday feast. Let it be a way to have fun in the kitchen with your family and friends. Make it a present to your favorite horse, horses, stable, club, riding program, or horse shelter. Their presence is the present - why not celebrate?

Need a few extra kitchen utensils for your human or horse holiday cooking? You might want to trot over to your local library: at libraries like the North Portland Preserve and Serve and the Southeast Portland Tool Library, you can borrow kitchen equipment and tools.

Book Giveaway: Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas Horse Book Giveaway at Barista Kids

Barista Kids is offering a four-book holiday giveaway! The titles are Turkey Bowl, by Phil Bildne, Thank You, Sarah, by Laurie Halse Anderson, Hanukkah Hop! by Erica Silverman, and The Magical Christmas Horse, by Mary Higgins Clark. Click over to the Barista Kids blog to read a review of each book and to enter the contest. Don't wait: the contest ends tomorrow, Tuesday, November 15th.

Looking for more horse books for the holiday season? Check out the post Holiday Books for Horse Lovers: Top Ten Christmas, Hanukkah, and Winter Holiday Themed Horse Books!

A Homecoming for Wild Horses: Przewalski's Wild Horses Gallop Back to Life, by Jan Marchal via AFP

You know them from the Lascaux cave paintings: the golden, bottle-brush maned Przewalski's horses. But thanks to the efforts of the Czech Republic's Prague Zoo, Jan Marchal reports today, you'll soon be able to see the horses in the wild again: having preserved the breed in captivity, the zoo staff and an international team of supporters will be re-introducing a small herd of Przewalski's horses to their ancestral home in grasslands of Mongolia. Read the full story in Marchal's article, Przewalski's Wild Horses Gallop Back to Life.

A Scientific Reason to Drop Everything and Ride: Play - How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, by Stuart Brown, M.D.

"The great benefits of play ...are the ability to become smarter, to learn more about the world than genes alone could ever teach, to adapt to a changing world."
     - from Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, by Stuart Brown, M.D.

Finally, horse-lovers have a scientific reason to drop everything and ride, read, and generally have fun with horses! In Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, Dr. Stuart Brown reveals that play isn't just for fun: even a few minutes of horsing around can boost your brain, increase your creativity, improve your health, and refresh you as thoroughly as a good night's sleep.

Pairing serious research with examples of playful kittens and polar bears - as well as toddlers through CEOs - Dr. Brown explains how kids, teens, and adults can bring play into - or back into - their lives. One particularly powerful example is of a woman who loved horses as a child, left them behind to focus intently on family and career, and then, after making space for them in her busy adult life, rediscovered "irrational bliss" and experienced personal renewal. Brown writes:

"Play is called recreation because it makes us new again, it re-creates us and our world. As Laurel demonstrated when she began riding horses, just a little true play in one's life can bring everything else, including work, back in balance."

You can learn more about the book and read the first chapter for free at Dr. Stuart Brown's website. If you're ready to get serious - or silly! - about horses and riding, check out Great Books for Horse Lovers post, Start Your Great Horse Adventure Today! Top Twelve Books for Getting into - or Back into - Horseback Riding.

Seeing Spots? "Spotted Horses in Cave Art Weren’t Just a Figment, DNA Shows" by Hillary Rosner, via The New York Times

If you decided to draw a horse, what kind of horse would you draw? A horse that lives in your backyard, a horse you once saw while driving down a dusty highway, or a horse from your imagination - bird-winged, bat-winged, blue ...or polka-dotted?

That's the focal point of a question that has puzzled archaeologists, geneticists, and horse-lovers for nearly 25,000 years. Paleolithic-era paintings in the caves at Pech Merle in France and at other sites throughout Europe depict horses who have spotted coats. But until the publication of a new, startling research paper, Hillary Rosner reports in today's New York Times, no one has known whether the ancient artists were painting horses they knew or horses they could only imagine.

“One of the things that most pleases me about this paper as a piece of ancient DNA science,” [Dr. Terry O’Connor, an archaeologist at the University of York and researcher on the project] said, “is it kind of begins with a question. These spotty horses, were they magical or real?"

Read the full story in Hillary Rosner's colorful and fascinating article, Spotted Horses in Cave Art Weren’t Just a Figment, DNA Shows in The New York Times, and be sure to check out the research paper at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online.

Want to learn more about cave paintings and other ancient equestrian art? Visit the websites of the Pech Merle and Lascaux caves and browse the reviews of equestrian art books in the Great Books for Horse Lovers post, An Equine Art Museum in the Palm of Your Hoof!

The Glow of Love, from Horseback: Among All Lovely Things My Love Had Been, by William Wordsworth

Among All Lovely Things My Love Had Been
by William Wordsworth

Among all lovely things my Love had been;
Had noted well the stars, all flowers that grew
About her home; but she had never seen
A glow-worm, never one, and this I knew.

While riding near her home one stormy night
A single glow-worm did I chance to espy;
I gave a fervent welcome to the sight,
And from my horse I leapt; great joy had I.

Upon a leaf the glow-worm did I lay,
To bear it with me through the stormy night:
And, as before, it shone without dismay;
Albeit putting forth a fainter light.

When to the dwelling of my Love I came,
I went into the orchard quietly;
And left the glow-worm, blessing it by name,
Laid safely by itself, beneath a tree.

The whole next day, I hoped, and hoped with fear;
At night the glow-worm shone beneath the tree;
I led my Lucy to the spot, "Look here,"
Oh! joy it was for her, and joy for me!

The Must-Read Horse Book for the First Day of November: The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater

"It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.
    Even under the brightest sun, the frigid autumn sea is all the colors of the night: dark blue and black and brown. I watch the ever-changing patterns in the sand, the beach pummeled by countless hooves.
    They run the horses on the beach, a pale road between the black ocean and the dark cliffs, because the sand is a better surface for the horses' legs. It is never safe, but it's never so dangerous as today, race day.
    This time of year, I live and breathe the beach. My cheeks feel raw with the wind throwing sand against them. My thighs sting from the friction of the saddle. My arms ache from holding up two thousand pounds of horse. I have forgotten what it is like to be warm and what a full night's sleep feels like and what my name sounds like spoken instead of shouted across yards of sand.
    I am so, so alive."
- from The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater

Water horses still lurk in the sea that surrounds the remote island of Thisby. Called capaill uisce, they are more like sea monsters than horses: savage and bloodthirsty, they will hunt, kill, and devour any animal or human foolish enough to come within range of their anvil-like hooves and dagger-like teeth. They can be restrained by iron, chanting, and other swiftly-fading remnants of fairy magic, but only barely, only enough to give a man a moment's chance to capture it, or to ride.

The people of Thisby love and fear and hate the water horses, as the water horses love and fear and hate them. So, every year, the bravest - and most desperate - men of Thisby capture a water horse, harness it, and ride for their lives in the Scorpio Races.

Until this year. Teenage Kate "Puck" Connolly enters the race in the hopes of saving her home and keeping her family together. Yet while the people of Thisby argue over whether she should race and the riders themselves fight her tooth and horseshoe nail, Kate's greatest adversary is nineteen year old Sean Kendrick, four-time winner of the Scorpio Races, who is this year riding for the right to purchase his beloved capall uisce stallion, Corr, from his unscrupluous employer. Young hearts and old grudges are churned up with the sand, and who wins - and what winning is - becomes a test not only of swift hooves, but of the human spirit.

Author Maggie Stiefvater, creator of the bestselling Wolves of Mercy Falls series and Faerie tales, has unfurled a supernatural horse story as deep and as mesmerizing as the sea in The Scorpio Races. You can learn more about the book - and read an interview with Maggie about the inspiration for it - at her website, and IndieWire reports that Warner Brothers has purchased The Scorpio Races movie rights, so keep a weather eye out for capaill uisce on your own town theater's horizon!

Celebrate National Novel Writing Month: Write Your Horse Novel!

Happy National Novel Writing Month! The National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) contest is beginning, and whether you're a first-time writer or a seasoned, best-selling author, this is your big chance - and fabulous excuse! - to dust off that book idea that's been sitting in the back of your tack closet, join a community of dynamic and passionate writers, and trot out 50,000 words in 30 days.

Yep, that's 50,000 words in 30 days. And not just 50,000 words in 30 days, but 50,000 words in 30 days over, under, between, and around the 50 million things you already have to do this month.

It sounds crazy, and, sure, maybe it is. But have you ever seen a pastured horse raise her head, prick her ears, and leap into flight? At least half of the horses in the surrounding pastures will bolt, too, caught up in her whirlwind energy.

NaNoWriMo is based on the same concept. Now in its thirteenth year, the event includes more than 10,000 writers in 90 countries. You can participate by joining live write-ins at your local library, bookstore, or coffee shop, by posting to the online forums, by watching the Pep Talks and reading the blogs, by uploading your word counts, or simply by knowing the contest is happening and writing independently alongside.

Before you say you don't have time, let me ask you a question. If your horse colicked - and I mean if your horse colicked when you had a Tofurkey in the oven and twenty people waiting for it at your china-and-crystal set table on Thanksgiving Day - would you make time to bring him through it? If a blizzard or a flood or a flock of lost and befuddled Canada geese kept your staff from reaching your barn one November morning, would you find a way to get the hay thrown, the stalls cleaned, and the horses cozily squared away? We all make time for what's important. This is important. You're important. 

And, yes, this contest is for horse-people. Two of NaNoWriMo's most famous participants are Sara Gruen, author of Flying Changes and Riding Lessons as well as two other novels, Water for Elephants and The Ape House, and Jessica Burkhart, author of the young adult fiction series, Canterwood Crest. Both authors' first books - Ms. Gruen's Flying Changes and Ms. Burkhart's Canterwood Crest #1, Take the Reins - were drafted during a NaNoWriMo November.

So amble on over. Take a look. Please do say "Hay!" - I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo, too, drafting a horse-themed thriller I thought up over the summer but had too much going on with The Literary Horse: When Legends Come to Life exhibit to pursue. We have the idea - the words will come. Why not today?

Halloween Books for Horse Lovers: Top Ten Spook-tacular Ghost and Monster Horse Stories

From the sweetly spooky to the truly terrifying, these ten literary ghost and monster horses are sure to add some mane-raising fun to your horsey Halloween!

10. Pony Veggi-pires: (Kids) The newest addition to literature's stable of spooky horses, pony veggi-pires are the invention of author Babette Cole. These bat-winged pony vampire-vegetarians haunt her children's novel Fetlocks Hall #3: Curse of the Pony Vampires.

9. Water Horses: (Kids, Teens, Adults) Many Celtic cultures tell tales of water horses, but whether the creatures are called kelpies, glashtin, or capall uisge, they are all creatures who emerge from a lake or the sea in the shape of beautiful but monstrous horses - and if you so much as touch them, they will carry you down and down under the water, a ride from which you will never return. For a classic water horse Halloween folktale, download and read Andrew Lang's The Goblin Pony at Project Gutenburg. For a fabulous new take on the myth for tweens and teens, check out Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races - and to find truly devilish mounts, dive into the poetry of Scotland's Robert Burns.

8. The Headless Horseman: (Kids, Teens, Adults) In his 1820 short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving describes a ghostly cloaked rider mounted on a black horse who chases unwary travelers - and throws his head at them! You can  download and read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at Project Gutenburg, check out an illustrated version like Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories from the Illustrated Junior Library, or watch the 1949 Disney family classic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. And if you're a ghost-chaser to the bone, you can visit the real Sleepy Hollow, New York and meet today's Headless Horseman!

7. Metzengerstein's Fiery Mount: (Teens, Adults) Did you know that Edgar Allen Poe's first published short story was about a horse? The horse, huge and flame-colored appears "flying, all smoking and foaming with rage" at the door of the fiendish, 15-year-old Frederick, Baron Metzengerstein after the stables of Frederick's enemy mysteriously burn down. Will the youth tame the horse, or is the horse on an unnatural - and unstoppable - quest for revenge? Read Metzengerstein in print or at Project Gutenberg to find out!

6. Duncan's Horses: (Adults) In William Shakepeare's play, The Tragedy of MacBeth, after MacBeth murders the reigning King Duncan, Duncan's horses break out of their stalls and devour each other. Learn more about the play in the Great Books for Horse Lovers post, "The Scottish Horses: The Tragedy of MacBeth, by William Shakespeare and at the Folger Shakespeare Library, download it and read it for free at Project Gutenberg, or check out the FSL's thoroughly and bewitchingly annotated print edition.

5. Skor, the Winged Stallion: (Kids) The 80-page children's novel Skor, the Winged Stallion pits young adventurers Tom and Elenna against the savage, purple-winged horse, Skor, and his malevolent rider, Seth, in their quest to rescue a kindly phoenix named Epos from the Dark Realm. Book number fourteen of Adam Blade's Beast Quest series for young readers, Skor is an inviting introduction for boys and girls to the incredible 60-book tale!

4. The Ghost Horse of the Mounties: (Kids, Teens, Adults) Based on actual events that took place during a lightning storm at a Royal Canadian Mounted Police camp in June 1874, Sean o'Huigin's narrative poem, The Ghost Horse of the Mounties fictionalizes the journey of the one horse who was lost in the storm, who, in the poem, becomes not a monster at all, but a great-hearted spirit. Vivid, striking, and unforgettable as a bolt of lightning itself, The Ghost Horse of the Mounties received the 1983 Canadian Council Children's Literature Award, the first time the award was given for a work of poetry.

3. The Gytrash: (Teens, Adults) In Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre, when Jane sees a horse hurrying towards her through a wood at twilight, she is reminded of "the North-of-England spirit called a "Gytrash," which, in the form of a horse, mule, or large dog, haunted solitary ways..." Is the creature the sinister Gytrash, or something even wilder? Read the rest of Jane Eyre in print or at Project Gutenberg to shed a little light on this mysterious character!

2. The Nazgul: (Teens, Adults) In J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books - The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King - the story's heroes are pursued and terrorized by the Nazgul, human kings who were warped by evil until they became wraiths who roam the countryside in the shape of black-clad riders upon black horses. Follow the Nazgul through the iconic Lord of the Rings books and see them come to life in Peter Jackson's spectacular Lord of the Rings movie adaptations.

1. The Man-Eating Mares of Diomedes: These four mares may be the most horrible horses in world literature. An invitation to feed them was an invitation to die, because their owner, Diomedes, the tyrant of Thrace, was so cruel, so corrupted, and so absent of humanity that he trained them not to eat grass and clover but to devour men. The mares appear in the Roman poet Ovid's Heroides and in many other Greek and Roman works. They are best known for their role in the "twelve labors" of the Greek hero, Hercules: stealing the mares was Hercules's eighth task. Some poets say that those events also brought about Diomedes' ironic end - the horses, loosed, devoured him. Looking for kid- and teen- friendly tellings of the story? You may want to check out James Ford's Ancient Myths: The Twelve Labors of Hercules and Paul Storrie's graphic novel, Hercules, The Twelve Labors: A Greek Myth.

(Are you searching for still more cheerful and chilling Halloween horse tales? Browse the candlelit leaves of Deborah Harkness's gothic romance/thriller, A Discovery of Witches, or Percy Shelley's classic poem, The Spectral Horseman, and canter on to The Pony Book Chronicles blog post, "Happy Halloween!", for 17 beguiling titles for kids and teens.)

From all the Great Books for Horse Lovers horses - wicked and wonderful - happy Hallowe-ee-ee-ee-n!

Why Fly When You Can Ride? A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness

It begins with absence and desire.
It begins with blood and fear.
It begins with a discovery of witches.
     - from A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness

Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches begins with Dr. Diana Bishop, a 30-something Yale University professor and scholar who has studiously avoided all cultivation of her magical abilities since her parents, both witches, were murdered twenty years ago. Her life of quiet research, though, is shattered when she unknowingly calls up the long-lost history of the world's magical creatures, unwittingly unlocks it, and then unthinkingly sends it back to its enchanted hiding-place in the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

Witches, vampires, and daemons have been searching for the book for centuries, so they immediately start flying, apparating, and generally popping up in unpleasant and disconcerting ways to try to force Diana to get them - and give them - the book. Diana's only friend and champion is the thousand-plus-year-old vampire geneticist, Matthew Claremont, who is not only the witches' sworn enemy, but also a guy who has some (forgive me) die-hard personal issues. (Though you'd think that after a thousand years, even a vampire would have a more relaxed attitude toward life.) 

Yes, it's a brainy, brocaded bodice ripper, but there are also horses. Real horses, realistically penned, with flourishes of nobility and that impossible, magical equine charm. And, no, I’m not going to say anything about how or why or what happens next because A Discovery of Witches is too marvelous a book to spoil.

Just read it. Wait for the horses. Because when a witch would rather ride than fly, you know you’re in good hands – and hooves.

A Discovery of Witches is the first volume in a planned trilogy. Learn more about the books, read an excerpt free online, meet the characters and explore their world, and read an interview with Deborah Harkness at the Discovery of Witches website!

The Best Journey Ever: Clarence Goes Out West and Meets a Purple Horse, by Jean Ekman Adams

     "But what will happen to you, Smoky? Where will you go?" [said Clarence.]
     "Maybe to another ranch. Or down the road. Over the hill. I don't really know where old horses go. I hope it is someplace where I can still feel the breeze in my mane and the raindrops on my ears..."
     - Clarence Goes Out West and Meets a Purple Horse, by Jean Ekman Adams

What's the best journey you could possibly take? Would it be a trip to a fabulous, faraway place or the road you share as you get to know a new friend? In Jean Ekman Adams' award-winning picture book, Clarence Goes Out West and Meets a Purple Horse, Clarence the pig and Smoky the purple horse discover that friendship and fun go hand-in-hand - or trotter-in-hoof!

Clarence is a small pig who lives in a big city; Smoky is a purple horse who lives on a ranch out West. When Clarence visits Smoky's ranch, he feels a little bit nervous and homesick: it's big trip, a new place, and he's all alone. Fortunately, Clarence isn't alone for long. Smoky becomes Clarence's friend - and teaches Clarence how to ride, how to line dance, and how to "play the washtub in a cowboy band." As Clarence starts having fun on the ranch with Smoky, it seems like the best trip ever. Then Smoky reveals that he is going to be sold, Clarence decides to buy him, and the two start an even more exciting adventure together.

The bright, sweetly silly illustrations - which include Smoky in his pajamas and Clarence line-dancing with colorful horses - and vivid but straightforward text will keep toddlers through young readers giggling. However, the larger message of this Smithsonian Notable Book - one of whole-hearted friendship, acceptance, and kindness - will particularly inspire children who may be going on a trip, changing schools, or moving, reassuring them that new friends come in all different guises and great adventures often begin after the most unexpected turns.

Ready to read more about Clarence and Smoky's adventures? Adams followed the pair in two more books - Clarence and the Great Surprise and Clarence and the Purple Horse Bounce into Town. (And for Smoky fans, Amazon matches the books with a sweet-faced plush purple horse!)

The Love that Stands the Test: The War Horse Exhibition at the National Army Museum in London and "I Vow to Thee, My Country" by Sir Cecil Spring-Rice

Opening today at the National Army Museum in London, the War Horse: Fact and Fiction, A Tale of Friendship, Stories from History exhibition invites children, teens, and adults to step into the real and fictional worlds of Michael Morpurgo's children's novel, War Horse.

In the novel, an English farm horse named Joey recounts how he was sold to the British army and sent to the battlefields of France - and how his owner's son, a boy named Albert, risked everything to save him.  After the book's publication, Tom Morris of the UK's National Theatre turned the story into an innovative and award-winning play that partners human actors with life-size and amazingly life-like horse puppets, and this Christmas, Steven Spielberg will be releasing his stunning and poignant movie adaptation.

The National Army Museum's exhibition guides visitors through the tales and artwork of all three renderings of the story, but it also goes one step further: it pairs them with true stories of history's soldiers and their horses, along with photos and historical artifacts, chronicling and honoring their friendship, their service, and their sacrifices.

Visit the National Army Museum's War Horse Exhibition website to learn more about the exhibit and its events. Admission is free, and the exhibit will be open through August 2012. (While you're planning your visit, you may enjoy listening to I Vow to Thee, My Country, a World War I memorial poem composed by British ambassador Sir Cecil Spring-Rice in 1918 and set to music by Gustav Holst in 1921, sung here by Welsh music artist Charlotte Church.)



I Vow to Thee, My Country
by Sir Cecil Spring-Rice

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

I heard my country calling, away across the sea,
Across the waste of waters she calls and calls to me.
Her sword is girded at her side, her helmet on her head,
And round her feet are lying the dying and the dead.
I hear the noise of battle, the thunder of her guns,
I haste to thee my mother, a son among thy sons.

And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.