Oh, Harry!

PreS-K—Kumin imagines a jocular tale about a horse named Harry with the unusual ability to calm his fellow equines in their horse-show barn. When six-year-old Algernon Adams III arrives with a nasty attitude and a barrel of unruly tricks, he puts the whole stable in an uproar. However, the boy gets his comeuppance when one of his daily pranks backfires and he ends up locked in the grain bin. How Harry saves the day and makes a lifelong friend of Algie provides fodder for Kumin's agile pen. Told with a sure sense of rhyme and an intoxicating beat, the story allows plenty of space for Moser's captivating illustrations, which joyfully depict the horses in ways both amusing and physically pleasing. Furthermore, Harry always appears in a bright green bridle, cleverly diffusing any chance to confuse him with his barn mates. With a dust jacket featuring Harry and Algie in a face-off, this book is an irresistible delight!—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA