5 Best Horse Picture Books

2019 January 14

Even as an adult, I love picture books, especially horse picture books! The problem is there just doesn’t seem to be very many out there. And as a horse person, I have pretty high standards as to what qualifies as a good horse book.

Here are my top five picture books about horses, with #1 being my top pick.

1. Leah’s Pony
   Leah enjoys her life on their family farm, especially riding all over the community on her little spotted pony (who is never named). Life is good until the years of the dust bowl, when her father can’t make enough money from his crops to pay the bills. Leah worries about losing her pony when the farm is put up for auction, but something surprising happens.
2. Billy and Blaze
   The Billy and Blaze books are simple stories about a young boy who wanted a horse more than anything in the world. The books feature the black and white illustrations of C.W. Anderson. As an adult, the stories are quite simplistic and predictable, but I absolutely loved these books as a kid. Purchase Billy and Blaze.
3. Mandy Sue Day
   Mandy Sue gets a day off from helping her siblings and parents with the harvesting chores on the family farm. She spends the day caring for and riding her pony, Ben. It’s not until the end of the book that you learn something special about Mandy Sue.
4. Five O’Clock Charlie
   At 48 pages, I don’t know that this exactly qualifies as a picture book, but there are lots of beautiful illustrations, so the text isn’t too long. Even at that, the book has a wonderful story. At 28, Charlie is considered too old to work on the farm any longer. The big horse doesn't feel old and is bored in his pasture. Charlie discovers there is something he can do. I had a hard time picking between this book and Fritz as to which I liked the best! Purchase Five O’Clock Charlie.
5. Fritz and the Beautiful Horses
   Our well-worn copy of Fritz and the Beautiful Horses was a favorite read-aloud when my daughters were young. The book is my all-time favorite horse picture book. Not only does it have beautiful illustrations by the author, Jan Brett, it has a wonderful message as well - what you are on the outside is not nearly as important as what you are on the inside. The townspeople don’t allow Fritz, the shaggy, little pony, into the city because he isn’t beautiful enough. When an emergency arises, Fritz comes to the rescue of the city’s children. Purchase Fritz and the Beautiful Horses.

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