Backyard Horse Tales - 2nd Edition - Sox
Mom’s Choice Excellence Award Winner
by Jackie Anton
Dog Eat Publishing
Soft Cover, 2012, $11.99
Kindle Edition: $3.99
ISBN: 978-1-4575-0949-0
Available on Amazon
Reviewed by Carol M. Upton
The Christmas stocking
was always filled with carrots, dried apple slices, and peppermints. My treats
lasted for a couple of weeks, only because Katie miserly doled out one or two
per day.
~ Jackie Anton
Living with her grandmother in the country is not Emma’s
idea of a good time. She misses the city’s bright lights, her parents have
split up, and her mom has been deployed to Iraq. She has a learning disability
and wonders how she will cope when her mom can’t be home for Christmas. No
wonder she is having trouble concentrating in school!
As the story unfolds, Emma’s life begins to shift. A
special-needs foal named Sox is born on a neighboring farm and these kindred
spirits discover a priceless friendship. When Emma reads aloud or sings songs
to Sox, he doesn’t care if she gets stuck on the words. He’s missing his mom,
wondering how to get along in the world and he longs for a friend. Both Emma
and Sox learn how to find strength in the challenges that come to us all.
Anton’s lively writing captures the growing pains of a young
girl and a young horse who would both just like to be normal. What does it mean
to be normal anyhow? There are no simple answers, but the author creates space
for these two delightful characters to puzzle all that out in their own way,
despite their respective challenges.
Anton’s keen knowledge of both horses and children paired with
her own appealing sketches shine through in this book. It deserves a spot in
every home and classroom, where young folks and the adults who love them will
want to read it time and again.
Jackie
Anton is the author of "Backyard Horse Tales 2nd Edition - Sox" which
has been awarded the prestigious Mom's Choice Award Silver Seal of Excellence.
Backyard Horse Tales 2 "Frosty and the Night Stalker" is now
available on Amazon and Smashwords. “Backyard Horse Tales 3 – Don’t Call Me
Love” will be available in early 2014.Visit Jackie at: http://www.talesbyjackie.com
