MUSIC OF THEIR HOOVES

Attractively laid out in picture book format with lively, realistic watercolors of horses in action, 20 poems with a pleasing diversity of settings and horse personalities. As a poet, Springer isn't outstanding; her language can be prosaic, and the insights here aren't deep. However, she does understand horses' quirks and their appeal to the imagination very well, while her decision to use young riders' voices for her character sketches and portraits is a good one. Like the horses, these children have varied experiences, from a girl who communes with nature and her own spirit on country rides to one who recognizes fear in the eyes of a horse that's just kicked her; from a withdrawn loner whose mount helps him to be ``proud to be me'' to a child of the plains glorying in his Appaloosa's ``wild white eyes.'' Of sure appeal to enthusiasts. Index. (Poetry. 8-12)