C. W. Anderson (1)Critiques

Billy was a little boy who "loved horses more than anything else in the world." Imagine how happy he was when he got his very own pony for his birthday! From that day on, Billy was seldom seen without his new friend, Blaze.

Riding through fields and woods, Billy and Blaze learned to trust and understand one another - and to jump fences and fallen trees with ease. They were a great team, but were they good enough to win the gleaming silver cup at the Mason Horse Show?

The brief story is told in the stilted sentence structure of the early readers, which is not surprising considering it was written in 1938. I think the only reason it is still in print is it is an adventure enticing to young boys. Billy saves the local community from forest fire by his quick thinking and hard riding. Blaze is also a hero by making jumps never before attempted.

This book is on the Nebraska 150 Books list, which is the only reason I picked it up. I'm glad I did though--I like to give books as gifts, and if I ever have the chance to recommend or give a gift to a young boy who loves animals, this moves to the top of the list. It's a sweet story about a boy, his pony, and his dog, with what resembles pencil-drawn illustrations. Enjoyable.

I remember checking this out at the library as a child. This brings back great memories!

00000266

Oh, this story is so cute. And may I say it is more helpful in answering my question of horse speed than the internet.
The title really says all that you need to know, there is a blind horse and this is the book about him.

I know about C.W. Anderson because my mom left me two of his prints and a stack of his old books, but the Billy stories are not among them. This is a gentle story with the illustrations Anderson was known for and simple, straightforward storytelling that is good for a relatively new reader. You don't see books for early readers that aren't "early readers" that often; I like that. It's also nice that this book is about a boy, so often a fascination with horses is viewed as girl territory even there really isn't any especially feminine about horses or riding...that's why they put the little girls in those ridiculous bows at shows. There is a subtle message about the responsibility involved in horse ownership. Tommy, the little boy who wants a pony, hangs out with Billy and Blaze so that he can learn horse care. He is also willing to do whatever it takes to hang out with a horse, including attempting to run along beside Billy and Blaze!

Holley the groom tells stories about horses he's met, while bringing a rogue horse along to jump timber races. This is the book that precedes "Bobcat". I enjoyed the little girl character, but I can't remember her name....

Aww.../  Be brave, never give up, and one day you might become the strongest of all.  Lovely pictures.  Could be read as a picture-book or very early independent reader story.½

The author tells us of great horses of the past, those with "high courage", using a horse trainer/groom named Holley, and his pupil, Patsy, and referencing a stubborn hunter named Bobcat. I was drawn into the narrative, and the wonderful illustrations didn't hurt any. A keeper.

When I was younger I went through a horse-phase and this was one book that I had come across. Even as I am older this book has stuck in my mind and its message is just as inspiring as it was when I was younger and maybe even more so since I can understand the whole context of the story.

This is a vintage book and so I know that not many would be attracted by its story due to its "outdated" characters. Otherwise the story is simple to follow, easy to read and even easier to enjoy while touching many hearts of older readers who can understand that sometimes fear conquers us but it doesn't always win while dreams as they say may come true even when faced with unforeseen problems.

And I would say this is a must-reader for any horse-lovers who need just a beautiful story to submerse themselves in with some beautiful pictures to spice up the story.

I couldn't get enough of these as a child. I really loved horse stories like these where the girl and the horse work together to get better and win a show. This was a very quick read. Wonderful illustration.

A well chosen and written collection of short stories about horses and the people around them. Some of the stories were written by jockeys of famous race horses, others by wranglers who actually lived the "wild west". The book is also illustrated by the editor, who has done a great job of using the descriptions to create pictures. Nice book, recommended, especially, but not necessarily, for lovers of horses and art.½

The Blind Connemara by C.W. Anderson is a moving tale of a young girl and her love of a white connemara pony. This pony is experiencing increasing blindness and is in danger of possibly being “put away” as the story goes. The little girl Rhonda has a big heart and is with the pony every step of the way through the difficulties. She ends up being a part of the pony’s recovery and ends up being able to own him in the end. What a touching and wonderful (and long) easy reading chapter book. It truly is a classic tale for those young horse lovers!

"Twenty Gallant Horses" might be considered a children's picture book by some: the dimensions and format are similar to many books we loved as children. But "Twenty Gallant Horses" is more than a book filled with gorgeous drawings. It is filled with concise biographies of famous (and not-so-famous) competitive equines.

While many might be familiar with the racehorse named Man o' War, other horse inclusions in this work such as Stymie and Snow Man are less well-known to the general public, and so their stories will be completely new.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, for both the tales of horses past, and for the beautiful illustrations that the author/illustrator has included.½

Summary:
This book was written in the 1950’s and it takes place in the west as Billy and his parents move there for the summer to live in their ranch house. Billy brought his horse, Blaze, along with them. Everyday Billy went out exploring with Blaze and one day he came across his friend Jim who warned him about a mountain lion who had been killing his calves. Billy was frightened but kept going. Billy and Blaze seen the mountain lion but scared it off. They kept hearing a noise, it was a calf that was stuck on a mountain ledge. Billy had to make a lasso and get the calf back to safe grounds and he returned the calf to Jim, his rancher friend.

Personal Reflection:
I felt this is how ranchers lived back in the day and the worries they faced. I know ranchers still worry about mountain lions but now we have traps, 4-wheelers, and more ways of stopping this.

Classroom Extensions:
1. This would be a great story to read to the children to learn about ranching and the 1950’s
2. This book would also be good to explain to students when they are our exploring, you can run into harmful animals.

A great young adult book. If you like horses this book is a great read for any young adult. A fast paced and "feel good" book.

I lucked up on this book when I was very young. We found it at a thrift store and I read and re-read it every chance I had. The story follows a young girl from her pony days through the transition to bigger horses; eventually she is allowed to breed her trainer's mare for the filly of her dreams. Anderson's writing style is such a pleasure to read; I will definitely hold on to this book for my kids!

I bought the Blaze books more for myself than for my children. I remember loving them in my childhood. I loved the pictures and Billy's friendship with his horse. Of course, we had a horse named Blaze, too

A nice story of a young boy learning to have patience and gain the confidence of a wild thing. Beautiful illustrations throughout.

Billy and Blaze are both brave and good. This story is somewhat like the Lassie stories, only with a horse instead of a dog. I bought it though, for its illustrations, which are beautiful pencil work.

This has got to be one of the oldest books I own. Published in 1955 the book itself is stitch bound which I am very impressed by. I talked my son into reading the story to me last night as his weekly reading assignment. The story is just as I remembered it from when I was very young, which says something because there are few things I remember from a very early age.

The illustrations in this book are amazing. Pencil sketches depicting the horses, the barns, children and the meadows are very lifelike and could each be a frameable work of art.

To sum this all up here is what my son wrote about the book, keeping in mind he's 8 and not very fond of writing assignments :-)

"I read The Crooked Colt to my mom. It's really old it's from 1955. It's about a crooked colt that needs to get bigger and stronger to be less crooked and be as fast as the other colts." He got a check plus and I give this lovely story 5 stars.

Rhonda is given the chance at owning a pony of her own when one of the loveliest ponies in the stable goes blind. With time and trust, the pair turn heads in 4-H horse shows, and inspire a whole school full of crippled children.

Anderson's illustrations are the strongest part of this slight story, but it's heartwarming and a childhood favorite of mine.

One of my favorite horse stories of all time. The illustrations, as in most of C.W. Anderson's books, are gorgeous, and the story is a sweet one.

After a bad fall from a rank school horse ruins her confidence and spoils her enjoyment of riding, the human heroine of the piece is give a second chance at something she loves when she is given a nerve-shattered mare to nurse back to health. Together the pair learn to trust and enjoy flying over the fences again.½

I love Anderson's pencil drawings of horses. The style is rather old fashioned (the book was published in the '40s) but that's what I remember from the horse books I read as a kid.