The Lost Horse Book Review

Bibliography
Young, Ed. 1998. THE LOST HORSE. Silver Whistle: Harcourt Brace & Company. Orlando, Florida. ISBN 0152010165

Plot Summary
This Chinese folktale is about a man, Sai, that always believed that things were not quite as good or as bad as they seemed. Sai teaches his son to trust in the “changing fortunes of life”.

Critical Analysis
The plot of this story is well thought out and gives the reader a chance to see how a person can respond to good and bad circumstances. The illustrations in this book are done with watercolors and collage. The watercolors allow the pictures to have lifelike coloring For example, the dark lightning filled sky has many colors of black and gray. This edition of THE LOST HORSE includes puppets that can be manipulated while telling the story orally. The puppets are jointed so they can be moved to match pictures in the story.

Review Excerpt(s)
School Library Journal: “Pastel and watercolor collages appear on two-page spreads and depict characters wearing attire authentic to their time and place. The tents and the predominantly brown scenery provide realistic glimpses into the stark landscape of the northern frontier. Striking close-up views show the son tumbling from his horse and families mourning their dead after battle.”
Publishers Weekly: “Both text and art are elegantly spare in Young's (Lon Po Po) newest retelling of a Chinese folktale, which may be among the Caldecott Medalist's finest works.”

Connections
*This book could be used to teach about life’s ups and downs.
*This book could be used to talk about Chinese culture and oral tradition.
*This story has a great sequence of events and could be used to make a story map.
Carlson, Nancy. SMILE A LOT. ISBN 0876148690
So, Sungwan. A CHILD’S DAY IN A CHINESE CITY. ISBN 0761412247