Are You a Horse? (Children's Picture Books on Video)

PreS-Gr 2—As author/illustrator Andy Rash points out, anything can happen in a picture book (Arthur A. Levine Bks., 2009) about a cowboy who doesn't know what a horse is. When cowboy Roy gets a saddle for his birthday, with instructions to find a horse and enjoy the ride, he begins his search, asking each creature he meets, "Are you a horse?" Everything he meets, from a squeaky wagon to a cactus to a crabby crab to a man-eating lion adds a bit of information to his picture of a horse. Each of the animals that Roy meets has the quality revealed in the previous encounter plus a unique characteristic so he can use deductive reasoning to identify a horse. At last, he identifies a real horse, and enjoys a very odd horsey ride. While Rash admits in the Conversation with the Author section that it is implausible for a cowboy in the West to meet crabs, zebras, and many of the other creatures that Roy encounters, this absurdity only adds to the humor of the tale. Dave Calabrese's narration gives each animal a distinct personality, from snake's hissing response, to sloth's slow, careful reply, to lion's brash roar. A read-along version with captions is optional. Rash's bright gouache and India ink cartoon illustrations, numerous gags and puns, and the general silliness of the story present a very effective lesson in critical thinking that will be enjoyed again and again.—MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann Elementary School, Binghamton, NY