A Ride on the Red Mare's Back - Hardcover

Julie Downing is an internationally published author and illustrator. She has illustrated over thirty highly acclaimed books for children. Her work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States and England. She lives in San Francisco, California.

Grade 1-5-- Le Guin's unnamed heroine is neither flamboyant nor elegant, but she is focused and wonderfully resolute. The tale tells of a little boy stolen by wicked trolls and taken to their High House. Since the heartbroken father is unable to cope and the mother must stay home with the baby, the sister sets out with a bit of bread, knitting needles, red yarn, and a scarf to find her brother. Of course, she is accompanied by her magical red wooden horse that her father had carved. Using traditional folkloric patterns, Le Guin fashions a child protagonist who is not overly frightened by trolls; she just deals with them. She is not even overly impressed with the mare who is her guide and champion. The horse does her thing and the girl goes on with her rescue mission. The language is rhythmic, with well-paced cadences and a tone that calls out to be read aloud. The illustrations do not invade the space of this well-crafted tale, but provide glimpses of what is being shared. Text pages have a decorative gray border that seems to embrace the words and adds a measure of caring to the telling. On the other pages, Downing uses the lovely reds of the horse and the scarf against more sober colors to complete the images. This story is a real gem that demonstrates the value of determination and that one's sense of satisfaction in a task completed is reward enough. Bravo to such a creative work. --Kay E. Vandergrift, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
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