RAIN AND THE READING HORSE

Equine therapy takes center stage in this tale of a youngster who needs a little help learning to read.

Due to a new school program, tan-skinned Rain will be reading to a horse regularly. Trouble is, she’s never read to one before, and at first it isn’t easy. She gives it her all, but soon enough her heart quickens, her neck flushes red, and the words get stuck in her throat. Fortunately, Rain’s been paired with a gentle, nonjudgmental creature named Snow. True, in the early days, Rain spends more time mucking out Snow’s stall and brushing her coat than reading. Yet each time she tries, Snow is there. On some days, Rain doesn’t read at all; on others, she makes a concerted effort. By the end, girl and horse have worked up enough of a rapport for Rain to finally read without worry or fear. Gianferrari and Salyer marvelously capture the stop-and-go nature of stress and anxiety. Salyer’s illustrations, made from a combination of colored pencils and chalk pastels, have a tactile quality. Meanwhile, the quiet patience of a horse as listener is perfectly echoed in Gianferrari’s text, with its repeated phrase of “Ears twitching, tail swishing.” Backmatter includes links to national therapy horse programs.

Read this book to a horse, a dog, a cat, a sibling, anyone! An empathetic tale for anxious readers everywhere.