I read this when I was in my kids and animals phase as a kid. I enjoyed the exotic setting, which made for a unique storyline in comparison to the other all-American stories I was reading. ( )

The horse Sham is given by the Sultan of Morroco to the King of France. Accompanied by his faithful keeper agba, Sham is sold as a cart horse instead of entering the Kings stables. After a series of adventures with Afaithful Agba, Sham is bought by an English aristocrat and sires many famous thoroughbreds.

Read when I was a kid. ( )

In this Contemporary Realistic Fiction book, a young Moroccan stable boy accompanies one of the Sultan’s prize horses to France. When the boy and horse arrive at France to be presented to the King, they are turned away and sent to a traveler’s inn. Through many harsh circumstances, the boy and horse eventually end up at a Duke’s stable. The Duke at first does not like the horse, but once the horse sires a foal, he welcomes the horse and boy back to his stables. The horse is as fast as the wind but is never given the chance to prove himself. However, his sons are found to be the fastest race horses the English countries have ever seen. In the end, the Moroccan horse is claimed King of the Wind and fathers the new blood line of the English racehorse, the thoroughbred.

I just read this story after many years of it sitting on my bookshelf. I love reading stories about animals, especially dogs and horses, but this one was a little depressing. The boy and the horse are mistreated all throughout this book until the very end of it. It was interesting to find out the story behind the Godolphin Arabian horse through this book’s information.

I would recommend this book to someone who liked to read about royalty, horses and horse races. A neat idea to use with this book would to be to incorporate it in a science unit in a secondary agriculture class. I would have the students research the beginnings of the thoroughbred horse and see if it really does trace back to the Moroccan beliefs. Another interesting point this book uses are the superstitions that surround horses regarding their birthmarks. I would also have the students research horse folklore and learn about some of the mysteries that surround horses. ( )

Anna O’Rourke
EDCI 4120/5120: Literature for Young Adults
Citation:
Henry, Marguerite. (1991). King of the Wind. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Grade-Levels:
I would recommend this novel for grades six through eight.
Category:
I would place this novel in historical/realistic fiction.
Read-Alouds:
The section that I would want to read-aloud to my class in particular is the part of the novel in which Sham, the Arabian horse that our main character Agba takes care of, is born. When Sham is born he bears two markings, one signifies speed and the other misfortune. Because of the marking that was thought to be bad luck Sham was mistreated and mocked for a large portion of his life, but he ends up becoming one of the most famous horses in history. I would utilize this portion of the book to speak with my class about appearances and preconceived notions and how dangerous/wrong/harmful/deceiving they can be.
Summary:
This novel follows an adolescent stable boy named Agba and the Arabian horse he grooms named Sham. They are constantly shifting from one place to the next and suffer many misfortunes and trials at each place until they finally end up in England to retire peacefully.
Themes:
I think the main theme in this novel is perseverance. Throughout all of their ordeals and hardships both Sham and Agba persevere and end up coming out of things on top. This is a great encouragement story.
Discussion Questions:
1) Do you think this book will make you think twice about judgments based on appearance?
2) Of all the places Sham and Agba traveled to, which destination appealed to you the most and why?
3) Do you think this novel being based on actual events helps add credibility?
Reader Response:
Growing up, horses were my favorite animal so I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. It was very quick and easy so I probably wouldn’t have it in my classroom though since I will be upper-level secondary education. I do think, though, that it sends great messages and would be good for a junior high or maybe even elementary classroom.