I have a lot of horse books big and small, but there's nothing quite like the Eyewitness books. The reading feels like kicking your feet up while a cool breeze washes over you and you drink lemonade, while reading other books feel serious despite all the fascinating content. There's no hurry to read an Eyewitness book, and Horse is no exception. It's a graceful journey with common tidbits and tidbits rarely mentioned in other books with far more words, it has so many clear images and small enough paragraphs that your eyes don't feel like they're working--just witnessing. Ah, now I understand why after all these years the format hasn't changed. And 20 years later I still think I should collect the series.

Am I just talking about the publisher and not the book? Well, indeed the book fits the series and I'm thinking of other illustrated horse encyclopedias when I make my comparisons. I love most horse books and they share a lot of subject matter, so often impressions come down to how the book was formatted.

Also, like any Eyewitness book, Horse covers the broadest spectrum of the subject. So what's not in other horse books? Usually not archaeology, the role in the industrial transition, and other history that isn't sport, recreation, or breed oriented.

And somehow it all condenses into a product that doesn't read as childish or particularly dumbed down. You finish reading this feeling as accomplished as a longer book, and probably more so because you enjoyed this one more. ( )

The writers of Eyewitness books have done it again. This book is a collection of everything a child could ever wonder about horses! It contains everything from how horses have evolved, to war horses, to identifying horse breeds. Each page is absolutely filled with informational text, illustrations, and diagrams to help both the linguistic and visual learners obtain new, fascinating information. For example, under the section of Bones and Teeth on page ten, the text states, “when a foal is born, it may be toothless, but the milk, or baby teeth may erupt through the soft jaw bones” and a diagram on page 11 shows a foal’s skull with lines to the milk premolar, milk canine, and milk incisor. I especially enjoyed the interesting horse facts located toward the back of the book. Who knew that a herd of horses is actually led by a female horse? This book contains a rich bank of easy-to-read information, which is essentially why I enjoyed it. ( )

Clutton-Brock, Juliet. Eyewitness: Horse. London: DK Publishing, Inc., 2004. This is a book that covers all aspects related to horses. It goes into the types of breeds, the history of horses used in battle and for work. It had many pictures and labels for the various things that are related to horses. It also teaches about other animals like zebras and donkeys andhow they are related to horses. This is an excellent resourse for a research report on horses. It would also be great for horse lovers to read. The text is a little advanced and is best for older children. but the pictures will be inviting to younger children. Age Group: 8-12 years. ( )

Basic but informative children's book about horses. ( )

636.1