A SPOT OF NEW
by P. Anastasia ; illustrated by Zoe Saunders
A horse becomes bolder and colorful when trying new things in Anastasia and Saunders’ rhyming picture book.
After a narrator implores a “brand new” white horse to “follow your heart,” the creature searches for adventures. The horse befriends a white mouse, and each time the two embark on a new endeavor, a colorful splotch manifests on their fur. When they’re unsure how to evade a tall wall, they don’t “give up hope”; instead the horse magically grow wings. The horse soars over the wall toward “the moon, the stars, and the sun.” The mouse doesn’t join because of a fear of heights, but the book reassures children that it’s OK sometimes to be afraid. Now multicolored, the horse keeps exploring the world and encourages a small white horse “lost in the darkness, alone without light.” The colorful horse explains: “You’ll soon have your very own spot of new, too.” Through its whimsical protagonist, the book shows how courage and connecting with others fosters growth, though when the horse and mouse bravely try berries on a tree, it doesn’t warn that some berries can be toxic. Anastasia’s spirited rhymes (“glisten and gleam…Sparkle and beam,” etc.) are engaging, and Saunders’ softly focused digital illustrations of a sweet-looking horse and mouse may encourage children to get out their markers or crayons and start filling in a page to color at the end.
A whimsical equine tale that emphasizes courage, exploration, and adventure.