The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
I grew up with this tale, a wonderfully woven story about a Native American girl who longs to run free with the wild horses. One day after a storm she is befriended and swept away by a powerful stallion. A year later her family finds her and brings her back to the tribe only to find that she is not happy there. She wants to return to her horse family and follow her wild spirit. They eventually give in to her will, and to the will of the stallion, which returns to the people over and over again to call for the girl. She returns to the horses… and you will have to read the story to discover what happens next.
The illustrations in this book are also wonderful. Each page is a masterpiece in watercolor or pen and ink. The style is simple, warm, and inviting. These are the images of my childhood, iconic and geometrical – yet with a flowing motion that seems to free the characters from the page. Your children will experience an amazing visual journey as you read through the lines of the book and elaborate upon the images before them. The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses provides an amazing storytelling experience.
The story is truly a beautiful exploration of the relationship between the horses and the people, a relationship that does not place the humans above the horses as overlords of this planet, but rather places them beside us as our companions on earth. The final line of the book:
Today we are still glad to remember that we have relatives among the Horse People. And it gives us joy to see the wild horses running free. Our thoughts fly with them
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The happiness and harmony of the people is tied in to the land and the animals that dwell upon it, and The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, is a great introduction to the importance of this relationship. It is a tale of timeless value that will appeal to readers of all ages.
