Five stories, collected in one gorgeous volume, pay tribute to the horse--a noble animal that has carried humans throughout history--and visit various cultures, from the magical humpbacked horse from Russia to the ghost-chasing horse from Tahiti. Grade 1-5–These five tales each feature a different type of horse, remarkable for both its individuality and the qualities representative of its breed. In each case, the animal plays an important–or even life-changing–role in the existence of its human owner (or, perhaps better, partner). For example, Humpy, a magical Mongolian Pony of Russian legend, not only gives the much-disdained daughter of a cruel man an opportunity to teach her father and brothers an important lesson, but also to marry a prince–the horse in his true form. The exploits of Snail, a completely lethargic mustang that becomes a powerhouse when he catches sight of cabbage, are appropriately related in the tone of an American tall tale. A piece taken from Paul Gauguin's Tahitian journals creates a strikingly mysterious air when the painter, perched upon a Timor, explores a haunted pool. Florczak's illustrations adapt characteristics appropriate to the locations and time periods of each selection's origins: from the stylized, almost lacquered look of the tales from Asia to the rich tropics suggestive of Gauguin to the comical cowboy in The Mustang. The Hausmans include afterwords and acknowledgments, giving more information about the backgrounds of the stories and their approach to writing them. This is an attractive volume, useful to teachers and librarians for read-alouds and of interest to horse-loving youngsters. –Coop Renner, Hillside Elementary, El Paso, TX Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Gr. 4-6. The Hausmans follow up Cats of Myth (2000) with a briefer but similarly world-spanning set of horse stories, each one retold in an idiom evocative of its origins and backed up by both closing comments about featured breeds and source notes. The five horses are all heroic, though not always outwardly so. Whereas the nobility of the Arabian Abjer and the Armenian steed Kourkig Jelaly ("He was made of mist and quartz. His color was that of a dark ruby.") are never in doubt, the mustang Snail looks like a nag "rolled in sticky, slicky Montana mud"--but matches Crow chief Many Coups' finest racer for speed. Similarly, Ghost Chaser, an ordinary-seeming Timor, rescues the artist Gauguin from a water monster on Tahiti, and the misshapen Mongolian Humpy provides magical help for young horse lover Sashya, before revealing himself to be an enchanted prince. Matching style to setting, Florczak gives his full-page and full-spread paintings distinctive looks for each engaging tale. John Peters Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved The Hausmans follow up Cats of Myth with a briefer but similarly world-spanning set of horse stories, each one retold in an idiom evocative of its origins and backed up by closing comments about featured breeds and source notes...Matching style to setting, Florczak gives his full-page and full-spread paintings distinctive looks for each engaging tale" --Jon Peters- Booklist These five tales each feature a different type of horse, remarkable for both its individuality and the qualities representative of its breed. In each case, the animal plays an important or even life-changing role in the existence of its human owner (or, perhaps better, partner)... Florczak's illustrations adapt characteristics appropriate to the locations and time periods of each selection's origins: from the stylized, almost lacquered look of the tales from Asia to the rich tropics suggestive of Gauguin to the comical cowboy in The Mustang. The Hausmans include afterwords and acknowledgments, giving more information about the backgrounds of the stories and their approach to writing them. This is an attractive volume, useful to teachers and librarians for read-alouds and of interest to horse-loving youngsters." --Coop Renner--School Library Journal Gerald and Loretta Hausman are a husband-and-wife team who have been researching and writing about animal mythology for more than thirty years.They live in Bokeelia, Florida. Robert Florczak is an accomplished painter, composer, and performer. He lives in Southern California.