Review - Thunder Horse

Thunder Horse
by Eve Bunting
illustrated by Dennis Nolan
Date: 2017
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

When a girl receives a small horse from her aunt, she doesn't quite know what to do with it. It turns out that this horse is a very special horse: it has wings.

As the horse grows and grows, so does the girl's love for it, but as everyone knows, sometimes you have to let go of those you love so they can grow in their own way. But you can always hope they come back to you someday.

Eve Bunting's Thunder Horse is a beautifully crafted tale that will work its way in to the hearts of readers, and the good thing is, they never have to let it go.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I've never been a real horse lover, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book. But it turned out to be one of the best picture books I've read in a while!

Aside from the question of where the girl's aunt gets the horse (is she trafficking in endangered species?), the story is basic and sweet. The girl is entrusted with the horse, with the warning that he will one day grow up and want to leave; her love would keep him until that happened. So the girl proceeds to raise the tiny horse as a pet, feeding him and giving him his vitamins, walking him on a leash, taking him to school for show-and-tell, and eventually riding him through the skies.

The prose is pretty enough, but the illustrations are absolutely wonderful, especially when the horse is small enough to be treated as a house pet. The pictures are done in soft colours, and everything looks quite realistic, in a dreamy sort of way. Some readers will probably enjoy this book simply for the illustrations alone.

Beautiful pictures, an interesting premise, and a timeless message make this one of the stronger picture books I've read recently. I'd love to try some of the other books by both the author and the illustrator.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.67 out of 5