Hold Your Horses!: A Feedbag Full of Fact and Fable - Hardcover

Milton Meltzer, a Christopher Award and Jane Addams Children's Book Award winner, is the author of over eighty books in the fields of history, biography, and social reform. His most recent books are The Amazing Potato, a 1993 ALA Notable Children's Book, Gold and Hold Your Horses!. He lives in New York City.

Winner of the 2001 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal

Grade 4-8?The role of horses in the history of humankind is unique and often pivotal. Although Meltzer includes the characteristics of various breeds, aspects of horse care, and biographies of some famous animals, he focuses on the impact of the creature's domestication on people's lives and the fearful price that it has sometimes paid for its service. Worshipped in some cultures and glorified in art, its considerable contribution to world civilization is revealed through chapters that include an overview of the horse's basic character, its role in ancient history, and its influence in more recent times. Informational vignettes interspersed throughout capture some of the more offbeat data, such as the origin of the hobbyhorse, as well as the fact that King Edward III paid a ransom of #20 for a warhorse and only #16 for the safe return of Chaucer. Using the same format and style that made his The Amazing Potato (1992) and Gold (1993, both HarperCollins) so successful and interesting, the author has produced a well-researched, concisely written, and thought-provoking book that's as fascinating as the subject itself. Black-and-white reproductions and photographs appear throughout. An excellent choice for recreational reading or reports.?Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.