Big Wishes for Little Feat

Gorgeously illustrated, this book tells the tale of "Little Feat' and his quest to find an owner who will love him very much and fly to the stars with him. What a lovely book for young readers and it's clear that the author understands horses.

Lafitte the colt was born on Bonneville farm in Belgium. Lafitte loves running and jumping and although he is not as big as the other horses, he practices hard to be able to jump higher than any of the others. When it is time for Lafitte to find an owner, he is not chosen by anyone. Lafitte is sad, but keeps believing in himself. Far away, a young girl named Ella learns that her family has fallen on hard times and she will be going to live with her Aunt Anastasia in Belgium. Fate brings Lafitte and Ella together in order for them to do great things.
A story of hope and triumph over adversity, Big Wishes for Little Feat combines themes of believing in yourself with a little bit of magic to create a wonderful story. This is a children's show more book, however it is word heavy and has some upper level words as well. This book is best shared as a read-aloud to younger children or for a confident independent reader. When read aloud to my four year old, the story kept his interest and he loved the beautiful, realistic and detailed illustrations. There are many important themes in Big Wishes for Little Feat such as believing in yourself, dealing with difficult situations and keeping optimism. These lead to some great questions and discussions. The touches of magic were just right to help encourage kids to prevail over negative forces in their lives.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. show less

Big Wishes for Little Feet, a new "long form" picture book from Cheryl Olsten, has a firm heart at its core. The story knows its message and doesn't deviate. It touches on the loneliness of separation and finds its center in connection. Olsten has some beauty in her prose as well. The illustrations of Paolo D'Altan are complimentary to the story and capture some of the ethereal magic in the author's prose. The growing relationship could have been enriched from another page or two, but a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I received this book through the generosity of the publisher and LibraryThing.com. The review is my own.

Big Wishes for Little Feat by Cheryl Olsten
Ella is a young girl, fascinated by the stars above, and by horses. One summer, Ella finds herself traveling from her home in America to stay with her Aunt in Belgium. While she loves her Aunt and Belgium, she misses her parents and her home back in America.
Meanwhile, just down the road, lives a lonely little horse names Little Feat. All he wants in the whole world is to make a friend. A forever friend who will always be there for him.
One night, while both Ella and Little Feat are staring up at the night sky they witness a shooting star. This shooting star will bring them together and help them form the bond that will drive away both of their loneliness.
I love the illustrations in this book. show more They are so magical and beautiful. I believe I was more brought in by the illustrations than the writing. The story itself is a touching story about a young girl and a horse forming a friendship that will last forever. Through this friendship, they are supposed to expel the loneliness that they have both experienced.
While I like the idea behind this book, I didn’t quite like the story itself. And honestly, I don’t know why. It seemed to me that the story was a bunch of little stories that were connected but didn’t quite connect. Like that one person who loves to retell stories for the group but keeps adding things in here and there.
My daughter likes this book a lot more than I did. She loved the illustrations and the story behind the horse, though the story behind the girl and her visit to Belgium confused her. Also, she expressed concern over what would happen to Little Feat once Ella had to return to America and her family. Since she was sent to stay with her Aunt because of money troubles in the first place, I mirror the concern.
All in all, I would give this book three out of five stars. I received this book from Librarything.com for the sole purpose of providing an honest review. show less

Lafitte is a horse who spends his days happily running with the other horses. Lafitte’s legs are shorter than the other horses but he is determined to run faster than the others. As Lafitte grows old enough to be sold as a prize show horse, he wonders who will be his special rider.
Meanwhile a young girl named Ella feels alone in a new country, forced to live with her aunt when she would prefer to be with her parents.
Can a shooting star help both of them to find what they are looking for?

Despite the beautiful illustrations and relatively interesting story, I found it jarring when the focus of the story shifted from the horse to the girl.

I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it were simplified and shortened to more of a show more typical picture book or lengthened and made into a chapter book. show less

Little Feat is a horse in Belgium who is disappointed to learn that he is the only horse in his stable who is not sold at the horse sale. His parents know the reason is that he is a very small horse. Little Feat continues to practice jumping and, with the help of a little magic, he finds he can jump over the highest fences.

Ella comes to Belgium when her family at home have money problems. Her quirky aunt sees her sadness and decides to help her by getting her a horse.

Ella and Little Feat are a perfect match for each other.

Beautiful illustrations and a lovely little story.

Beautiful artwork, and a magical story combine to create a wonderful book! A little girl who misses home, a small horse who wants to belong to someone who will love him, and a generous great-aunt deliver all the components of a heartfelt tale!