  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 10/01/2017 When her aunt Aldora gives her a tiny live horse, a little girl is astonished. Her aunt hints that he is a magical creature who will grow and change and one day will want to leave. Each double-page spread is drawn in watercolors in slightly blurred soft sepia tones that suggest an otherworldly tone. The delineated horse and girl and details glow, as the little horse matures and begins to sprout tiny nubs on his shoulders. When her teacher reads her the Greek myth about Pegasus, the winged horse, the girl looks for the thunder horse’s constellation in the night sky. One day Pegasus invites her to ride upon his back into the sky, “like riding through a dream . . . wrapped in magic.” One day her thunder horse does fly away, off into an azure firmament; later, the girl is comforted by a shooting star, convinced it is her beloved horse. In the glorious final spread, horse and girl fly once again, as the last half page illuminates the Pegasus constellation. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. School Library Journal - 10/01/2017 Gr 2–4— In this long picture book, Bunting writes the story of a girl who is gifted a tiny horse by her mysterious aunt. Acquired in Greece, the tiny horse comes with the warning that one day it will change and eventually leave the little girl. The horse lives with the girl in her apartment where she feeds him, walks him, and even takes him to school. As the horse grows, he begins to develop wings. The girl names him Pegasus and is thrilled when he eventually allows her to ride him through the night. One day, the girl realizes that Pegasus is ready to leave, and sadly she watches him fly off into the night, becoming a shining star in the vast sky. With gorgeous soft pastel illustrations, this is a gentle story of love, letting go, and believing that magic still exists in the world. VERDICT For more confident readers, or to be shared as a longer read-aloud, this is a lovely general purchase for most libraries.— Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
 |