This book was great for a child.

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 typical picture book or lengthened and made into a chapter book.

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. 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. ( )

This book is perfect for any little girl who loves horses. It has beautiful illustrations and a wonderful story. The only complaint we had was that we wanted more. We wanted to know what else happened to this girl and her horse, which means a follow up book would not go amiss. ( )

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. ( )