HIGHLY amusing! The adults will enjoy this adorable book as much as the kids!!
Simple but effective – with a relatable moral of the story – A Horse Named Steve is a comical and charming tale. As you may have imagined from the title, the story follows a horse named Steve who is on a desperate mission to become exceptional. However, by the end of his journey, he discovers that all his worrying was unnecessary – he was exceptional all along! Accepting yourself for who you are and achieving inner confidence makes the perfect premise for a brand new and whimsical children’s picture book.
As someone who has been obsessed with horses since she could first breathe, I couldn’t help but cherish this captivating tale of a horse that just wants to feel special. However, one of the main reasons why I thoroughly enjoyed A Horse Named Steve was owed to Collier’s simplistic, yet expressive, illustrations which whole-heartedly showcase the equine’s bright and bubbly personality. There is a purity and innocence about Steve which is expertly captured in her drawings and is considerably endearing.
Collier also incorporates words associated with the five senses to help children engage with Steve’s experiences, albeit in a lively and stimulating way. For instance, I absolutely ADORED the ‘Sniff Sniff’ and ‘Nom Nom’ inserts, and found them immensely entertaining! For children, the use of fun verbs such as these, help to invoke a picture of the story in their minds and get them to actively engage with Steve’s emotions. Likewise, the clever use of the ‘Clap, Clap, Clap’ sound when Steve excitedly decides that the horn will make him exceptional, resembles the clippity-clop of a horses shoes on the ground – adding to the realism and hilarity of the story.
In a nut shell, Steve was always special. He never needed his magical golden horn because he was already unique without it. The realisation of his self-worth teaches an essential lesson to young children about valuing themselves over their appearance. I’m sure we all remember being young once and feeling the pressure of having to ‘fit in’. We definitely need more books like this which highlight the importance of accepting who you are rather than following what the crowd does.
A Horse Named Steve is a hilarious tale, short, sweet and bags of fun, kids will love the chatty notes which explain big words, such as, ‘devastated’ that means, ‘really, really bummed’, and Steve’s outrageous and laugh-out-loud antics.
A Horse Named Steve by Kelly Collier is published by Kids Can Press on 6th April 2017
(£14.99, h/b, 32pp, 9781771387361)
Post by Sarah