Born to Trot

Another winner by Henry. I think I read these for the 'trivia' like the comparison of pacers to trotters. And for the amazing art by [a:Wesley Dennis|441088|Wesley Dennis|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. I never knew any horses nor was motivated to seek them out.

Anyway, from my current perspective this is one of best. Not [b:King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian|1189086|King of the Wind The Story of the Godolphin Arabian|Marguerite Henry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1329174132l/1189086._SX50_.jpg|2236675] but nothing can approach that, with its beginning during Ramadan, and the mute groom, and the adventures. But this, with show more its story-within-a-story helping the reader to understand lineages, comes to the level of my second favorite, [b:Justin Morgan Had a Horse|31448923|Justin Morgan Had a Horse|Marguerite Henry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1471243153l/31448923._SX50_.jpg|5491285]. Funny, though... I remember not liking the strategy of the nested story when I was a girl.

Btw, as best as I can tell, the hospital was a tuberculosis sanatorium. Normally a boy could do all that Gibson wanted to do, but he was ill, as were so many other young people in those times. (Including, for example, [a:Robert Louis Stevenson|854076|Robert Louis Stevenson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1192746024p2/854076.jpg]). Gibson White died of a heart attack at the age of 57, I suspect because he was weakened by his bad illness. Know that TB is still a major threat in the world, too. It can usually be treated today, if caught early in a rich country, but it still kills far too many people every year.

So, yeah, I recommend this to fans of horse stories, fans of historical fiction, and many of the rest of you, too. show less

I love, love, love this book! A definite favorite as a teen, all the more so because it was based on a true story (or two) - being obsessed with horses at that age also helped quite a bit. Two stories in one - Gibson's harness-racing horse, Rosalind, and the legendary horse Hambletonian, the "Father of the American Trotter". Good horse-lover's book...

A donation to the Friends of the Library bookstore, I nabbed it first. Classic Marguerite Henry -- lots of interesting horse lore and great horse illustrations, with a fairly weak story tying it all together. I would have liked to spend more of the book at the harness races, and less at a sanitarium with our young hero Gibson White, who is ailing with some mysterious illness that we never get to hear about (maybe TB?). A true story with an exciting ending.

I have always loved this book within a book, which tells not only the story of our main character and his filly Rosalind, but the story of Hambletonian, the foundation stallion of the Standardbred breed.

Young Gibson White dreams of training a champion trotter. His dreams have a chance of coming true when he is given Rosalind, a spirited filly willing to do what it takes to win.

Hardcover, DJ, First Edition