Genre
Bedtime stories
Picture books for children
Stories in rhyme
Subject
Bedtime
Foals
Horses
Mother and child
Mothers
Parent and child

Beautifully illustrated. So cute. ( )

Beautifully illustrated. So cute. ( )

Certainly a beautifully illustrated book. And of course it would have been my favorite during my horse-crazy days. I did like that each verse was almost the same, with the introduction of two new vocabulary words each time (plains/ sea... gallop/ prance...). But, personally, just speaking for myself, I wasn't all that charmed. At least at this point in my life I couldn't connect - which makes me wonder if this transcends genre the way the best picture-books can.

Again, though, for the right audience this is a five-star book. Please don't be dissuaded from checking it out based on my opinion. ( )

This review was previously published. I have rewritten and edited it.

This is a board book edition of a picture book published in 2010. The text is a repetitive lullaby:

"Hush little horsie,
Asleep on the farm.
Your mama is near
And will keep you from harm."

Each stanza changes to a different place and rhyme, and is followed by a refrain:
"She'll watch when you play
and she'll watch when you sleep
and when you are tired
she'll watch as you sleep."

Which is, from an adult perspective, a little freaky, but of course kids won't notice that. You can easily sing the text to the tune of "Hush little baby".

Ruth Sanderson's lush paintings show gorgeous horses of different breeds in different places outdoors and in their cozy stable. The story ends showing a child clutching a stuffed horse and dreaming of horses.

Verdict: I'm not sure how successfully this would work as a board book - it would depend on the child, I think, and whether they will sit still and listen to the story, but there are lots of realistic looking horses to point out. I think it probably works better as a picture book overall.

ISBN: 9780375851391; Published 2013 by Random House; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library