WHY DO HORSES NEIGH?

Holub (Why Do Rabbits Hop?, below, etc.) continues her series of easy readers focusing on a particular animal with this offering that will be popular with the younger faction of the horse-crazy set. She uses a question and answer format as the structure to impart a broad overview of the equine world, including horse classifications, behavior, characteristics, care, and an introduction to riding. She works interesting tidbits of information into the text, including some surprising facts that children will enjoy, such as the fact that horses sleep only three hours per day or the statistics about the world’s oldest horse on record. Humorous spot illustrations alternate with full-color photographs of horses, many being held or ridden by children. This combination of illustration styles provides an attractive visual variety, augmented by the leading questions on each page reproduced in purple type. The text is written for readers at the early fluency level, but this will find other uses as well: for younger children who are just getting interested in horses and for older children who are reading below grade level. The amount of information covered in a simple, interesting way makes this an excellent introduction to this popular topic. (Easy reader/nonfiction. 6-9)