Dogrib author Richard Van Camp and Plains Cree illustrator George Littlechild join forces in this lovely, contemplative picture-book examination of the beauty and wonder of the horse. Acknowledging at the outset that he knows little of horses, as his own people, the Dogrib, traditionally rely upon dogs for transportation, Van Camp asks a series of family members and friends to name the most beautiful thing they know about horses. The answers - always knowing their way home, having secrets, having cool hair - range from the philosophical to the amusing, and reveal as much about the person speaking, as about our equine friends. The narrative here is accompanied by gorgeously colorful illustrations, done in a stylized, folk-art style that is very appealing...

Apparently What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? is the result of a request from Richard Van Camp's publisher, that he write a book about horses. Realizing that he knows little of the subject, he sets out to discover more, asking everyone from his mother to his friend in another town for their opinions. The result is fascinating and sometimes moving, less of a factual narrative than a philosophical one, highlighting how horses are perceived as much as what they are. The title itself reminded me of Alice Walker's poem, Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful, while the premise of the book brought to mind Ojibwe author Leo Yerxa's picture-book, Ancient Thunder, which also addresses the wonder of equine life, from the perspective of a native person who is, like Van Camp, from a non-horse culture. I really enjoyed this one, and plan to track down more from both author and illustrator. I'd recommend it to young horse lovers, and to picture-book readers who appreciate more contemplative selections, ones that don't necessarily have linear story-based narratives. ( )

This book was slightly confusing to me because it didn’t seem to have a plot. It felt very random and didn’t flow. For example, it jumped from talking about a very cold day to “I wonder what horses are like.” However, I did like the illustrations. They were very vivid and colorful and fanciful. For example, when the main character was describing his ethnicity, Native American and White, the corresponding picture was a man with half of his body dressed as Native American and the other half dressed like a cowboy. I also liked that real photographs of his family was included in the illustrations. It made that section of the book stand out a bit more than the rest. Other than that, I found the book very hard to follow and very dull. A message that I got out of it was to keep asking questions about things you don’t know about and learn about the world around you. ( )

This book just begs to be followed up by pencils and paint. How many beautiful things are there to draw and paint? ( )

Reviewed by
School Library Journal Oct 1998
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