Gift Horse - Hardcover

Levin, Betty

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688146988 ISBN 13: 9780688146986

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 1996

Synopsis

Matt dreams of owning a horse, but when his great-uncle sends him one, he discovers that a dream come true can sometimes turn life upside down. His parents explain that having a horse in a suburban community is filled with obstacles, but Matt is determined to keep Loki. A moving story that examines the complex emotions that govern parent-child relationships.

About this title

About the Author

Betty Levin is the author of many popular books for young people, including The Banished; Look Back, Moss; Away to Me, Moss; Island Bound; Fire in the Wind; and The Trouble with Gramary. Betty Levin has a sheep farm in Lincoln, Massachusetts, where she also raises and trains sheepdogs. In Her Own Words...

"I started writing stories almost as soon as I began to read. They were derivative and predictable-as much a way of revisiting characters and places in books I loved as it was a means of self-expression. I don't remember when words and their use became important. In the beginning was the story, and for a long time it was all that mattered.

"Even though I always wrote, I imagined becoming an explorer or an animal trainer. This was long before I had to be gainfully employed. It wasn't until after I'd landed in the workplace, first in museum research and then in teaching, that I returned to story writing-this time for my young children. Then a fellowship in creative writing at the Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College gave me and my storymaking a chance. One affirmation led to another, and now there are books-and some readers.

"When I talk with children in schools and libraries, I realize that child readers are still out there. When they get excited about a character or a scene, a new dimension opens for them, a new way of seeing and feeling and understanding.

"Of course there is always one child who asks how it feels to be famous and to be recognized in supermarkets. I explain that the only people who recognize me are those who have seen me working my sheep dogs or selling my wool at sheep fairs. That response often prompts another query: Why write books if they don't make you rich and famous? I usually toss that question back at the children. Why do they invent stories? How does story writing make them feel?

"Eventually we explore the distinction between wanting to be a writer and needing to write. If we want to write, then we must and will. Whether or not we become published authors, we all have tales to tell and stories to share. Literature can only continue to grow from the roots of our collective experience if children understand that they are born creative and that all humans are myth users and storytellers."

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Matt's dream of owning a real horse seems about to come true when his eccentric Uncle Oliver promises to send him one. Forty long pages later, with no real notice to the boy or his parents, a Norwegian Fjord horse and four bales of hay are delivered to his house. With help from his brother, sister, and best friend, Matt attempts to keep the horse happy and healthy in the converted barn/garage behind their house. Then they try to convince their parents that this is feasible in a modern neighborhood. Problems with zoning laws come to a head at the local pet show, when Matt is also forced to confront his horse's need for room to roam. A slow and awkward beginning, with an overwhelming number of undeveloped characters and extraneous events, distract readers from the overall plot. A rather abrupt ending, in which Matt finally realizes and resignedly accepts that his gift horse was only temporary, is a little harsh. This novel is not outstanding among the many stories of this genre where ignorant child gets horse, and both child and horse are fortunate not to be injured.
Christina Linz, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0688146988
• ISBN 13: 9780688146986
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 168
• Illustrator: Smith Jos. A