If You Want to Ride a Horse

If You Want to Ride a Horse

Amy Novesky, Gael Abary (Illustrator)
$18.99
Publication Date: March 12th, 2024
Publisher:
Neal Porter Books
ISBN:
9780823456956
Pages:
40
Off the Beaten Path Bookstore
1 on hand, as of Apr 26 6:07am
(Children's Picture Book Hardcover)
On Our Shelves Now

Staff Reviews

I’m a horse girl. I will defend the love of horses to my last day. This picture book, written by my favorite picture book author Amy Novesky, is all about imagination and picturing your dreams coming true! Do you want to fly down the beach on the back of your dream horse? Or lie in the sun with the smell of hay in your nose? What fun! What excitement! I loved Amy's previous book Girl on a Motorcycle too, because I’m also a fan of iron horses.

— Jenna

Description

Carson Ellis' Home meets Carter Higgins' Everything You Need for a Treehouse in this poetic, open-ended testament to the power of imagination, through the prism of horses.

In lovely, lyrical fashion, If You Want to Ride a Horse introduces young readers to the joys of owning, riding, and caring for horses. It only starts with imagination—from there, the possibilities are endless.

Beginning with a daydream, our young rider goes from dreaming about a horse, choosing the ideal kind of horse, meeting the horse, cleaning the horse, tacking up in preparation to ride, soothing their horse through a hard moment, triumphantly getting on, and finally riding gloriously off down the beach.

Is it the best dream ever or a dream come true? It hardly matters: Gael Abary’s art makes even the most incredible fantasy feel possible, and award-winning author’s Amy Novesky’s unforgettable language is an ode to the power of dreams and self-belief to change any young child’s life. 

The book includes an author’s note, an illustrator’s note, and tantalizing fun facts about horses and horseback riding.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

About the Author

Amy Novesky is an award-winning author and book editor. Her picture books include GIRL ON A MOTORCYCLE; CLOTH LULLABY, THE WOVEN LIFE OF LOUISE BOURGEOIS; ME, FRIDA; MARY BLAIR’S UNIQUE FLAIR; GEORGIA IN HAWAII; IMOGEN, THE MOTHER OF MODERNISM AND THREE BOYS; MISTER AND LADY DAY; ELEPHANT PRINCE; and LOVE IS A TUTU and LOVE IS A TRUCK. 

Amy began making books at Chronicle Books in San Francisco. Twenty-five years and hundreds of books later, she has worked with authors, agents, packagers, publishers, book stores, toy companies, and film studios, including Creative Editions, Disney Press, Ever After Studio, Harcourt, National Geographic Kids, Paper Hat Press, Pixar, and Princeton Architectural Press. Currently, Amy is the Editorial Director for Cameron Kids, a division of Abrams Books.

Gael Abary is a Filipino American illustrator living in Kailua, Hawaii with her partner, their daughter, a cat called Stella, and a retired racing greyhound called Storm. She is also the illustrator of Crow Spirit, written by Debra Bartsch.

Praise for If You Want to Ride a Horse

★  "Novesky’s fanciful lyricism teeters on the right side of informed infatuation and continues her trend of crafting adventurous protagonists. . . A terrific addition to all  collections and an absolute must for equine enthusiasts."—Booklist, Starred Review

"A love letter to horseback riding."—Publishers Weekly
 
"Horse lovers, take note: This is a sweet, tender book to ride off into the sunset with."—Kirkus Reviews

"Although the text covers many of the topics explored in introductory horse books, the dreamlike nature of this gentle, occasionally rhyming picture book allows expansion into related areas. . . The speckled mixed-media illustrations in muted tones of rose, peach, and champagne extend the imaginative atmosphere. . ."—The Horn Book