Glen Rounds (1906–2002)

About a blind horse that grew up on the range but now lives on a ranch. It’s been taught to ride by a kid, and there’s a dog devotedly attached to it, that carefully leads it around places. On the first few pages, horse thieves come in the night. When much later they realize the horse can’t see, they figure he’s worthless to sell, and set him loose. The dog had run after and snuck aboard the truck, so now he’s out there with the horse too. (Thieves couldn’t get rid of the dog show more though they tried). The rest of the story is about how this odd pair survives on the dry range while trying to make their way back home. Blocked by fences, and later by the threat of wildfire. Encountering coyotes, badgers, the dangers of broken fences and traps left for wolves. Once the horse gets stuck down in a wash after a rainstorm. The horse often runs into accidents because it can’t see obstacles, but can always find grazing whereas the dog is always near starving, being a poor hunter. He gets a little better near the end- catching hares and mice or finding bird eggs and a few carcasses (though they’re mostly so well-picked-over there’s nothing left to eat). On one occasion he steals meals from another ranch’s dogs. Eventually the two do make it home alive, to the amazement and joy of the rancher and the kid who had trained the blind horse.

Best part of the story was reading all the details how the horse could safely (for the most part) make its way about, and the particular care the dog took to watch out for it, and all the little natural things about the environment and wildlife. Sage grouse and pronghorns. Owls and prairie dogs. For such a little book it was quite interesting, especially the animal behavior. show less

An elderly horse is kept in the ranch yard one summer to graze the grass and keep it from growing too tall. Two small kids are given a lift onto its back one day by a passing ranch hand and promptly fall off. With the horse's enduring patience, they spend the rest of the summer trying different ways to get back on a horse twice as tall as they are and practicing how to stay on longer when they do.

A brief but beautiful portrait of a senior animal and one glorious summer of childhood.

I very much enjoyed this short story by Glen Rounds. It tells the tale of Ol' Paul the giant and his trusty blue Ox. The sun refused to rise for the first time in history and this book tells of funny little shorts on their adventure. I really enjoyed the illustrations because of how simple they are. No bright or eye-catching colors were used, and it really forces you to get a good detailed look at them before turning the page. Its almost as if the illustrator just sketched some drawing and show more then left them on the page, very interesting style. show less

Really it's about the pictures. The story is funny, in a certain 'tall tales' sort of way, with a laconic voice, and almost enough words so that I was wondering for quite a while if it was just going to be a sort of shaggy dog story. But the punchline made it work, and the drawings are too much fun. I bet that I would have loved Rounds' stories when I was a kid... how about you go to openlibrary and see if you, your inner child, or your ownbest beloved' likes them?

(And if you don't know that show more 'best beloved' is from Kipling's *Just So Stories,* borrow that, too. :) show less