MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE

The 25 poems in this beautifully illustrated and designed anthology are evenly divided between real and imaginary horses and between rhyming and nonrhyming poetic forms. Schwartz has thoughtfully selected poems that show us horses at work (a police officer’s mount, a young racehorse, a circus horse) and at play (merry-go-round horses, a child’s toy pony). Many of the elements of poetry could be taught using this volume: several of the poems effectively use a galloping meter or successfully show the power of poetic metaphor through charging steeds glimpsed in crashing ocean waves or in racing clouds. Well-known poets are represented here with selections by Shakespeare, Frost, Whitman, and Christina Rossetti, with more contemporary poems by Aileen Fisher, Tony Johnston, and Jack Prelutsky. Two selections are by Native American poets, but no other minority cultures are represented (and the exclusion of a haiku along with all the other poetic forms seems an obvious oversight). The evocative illustrations by Berenzy (Home at Last, 1998, etc.) alternate between pastels and soft, moody graphite pencils that capture magical moments, such as the birth of a foal by moonlight. She has a genuine talent for depicting both realistic horses in motion and more ephemeral images such as the elusive unicorn, and her delicate, understated illustrations propel this collection into the winner’s circle. As there is no other collection of equine-themed poems for children in print, this offering will be welcomed in larger poetry collection and by legions of horse-lovers young and old. (Poetry. 6-12)