If I Was a Horse

by Sophie Blackall

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

An empowering, child-centered fantasy, If I Was a Horse is packed with humor and surprise stemming from its deadpan visuals.

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER!​
 
★ "Charming and whimsical visual surprises are found throughout the impeccably designed pages…An exquisite equine fantasy, this encourages imaginations to giddyup and run wild and free.”—Booklist, starred review
A gift for any child with an unbridled imagination, this bestseller from award-winning creator Sophie Blackall captures the astonishing spectacle of life as a horse. And with a cover adorned with glitter, this romp really sparkles!

If you were a horse, what would you do? Could you fit in your clothes? Would you give your little sister a ride? Would your brother even notice?
 
Gallop along with two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall through this riotous day in the life of a child who imagines their life as a horse. What ensues are uproarious, resonant episodes that feature a giant horse in familiar settings offering both a visual feast, a grand dose of joy, and a celebration of the real power of imagination to help us navigate the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316510981
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/03/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	37,112
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sophie Blackall is the bestselling and two-time Caldecott medal-winning artist behind Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear, Hello, Lighthouse and Farmhouse. She is also the proprietor of Milkwood, a creative retreat for children’s book makers. She lives between Brooklyn and a farm in upstate New York. 

Editorial Reviews

08/14/2023

In an amusing meditation on self-determination, a young narrator imagines being free of the rules of childhood and family life—by dint of becoming a horse. Caldecott Medalist Blackall begins, “If I was a horse, I would gallop all day.// I could go anywhere I want,// and I’d come home when I was hungry.” One accompanying spread shows a bay horse with a spray of white spots across its back entering a kitchen and grazing on a sandwich. A younger sibling giggles; an older sibling, absorbed in a book, notices nothing. The speaker describes giving their sister a ride to school (halting just shy of the entrance to munch flowers); swimming, goggle-clad, in a race (“Everyone/ would want me on their team”); and looking skeptically at a caregiver proffering both a bath and garments (“If I was a horse, I wouldn’t wear clothes”). After bedtime, the real voice behind the words is revealed. Throughout this cozy view of longed-for freedoms in childhood, Blackall’s signature-style illustrations summon giggles about the comic ill-suitedness of horses to the human-scale world. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. Agent: Nancy Gallt, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for If I Was a Horse:
A Kids’ Indie Next List Pick
An American Library Association Notable Children's Book of 2024
An Amazon Best Book of 2023​
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book 2023
A CCBC Choices Best Book of 2023
A Children's Book Council Favorites Awards, Children's Favorite

 

* "Charming and whimsical visual surprises are found throughout the impeccably designed pages…An exquisite equine fantasy, this encourages imaginations to giddyup and run wild and free.”—Booklist, starred review

* "Every illustration invites readers to pause to appreciate its details."
 —Shelf Awareness, starred review

"Delightful…[with] colorful, sweet, gently humorous illustrations…There’ll be no neigh-sayers for this one."—Kirkus

"Detailed and nuanced. . . There’s a sensitive heart and sharp eye in the humor here."
 —Horn Book

“A whimsical picture book that embarks on a journey of imagination…A wonderful reminder of the power of imagination and a launching point for story hour discussions.” 
 —School Library Journal

“Throughout this cozy view of longed-for freedoms in childhood, Blackall’s signature-style illustrations summon giggles…”—Publishers Weekly

Praise for Farmhouse:
A 2022 KIRKUS BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK
A 2022 SLJ BEST BOOK
A HORN BOOK FANFARE
A 2022 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK
A 2022 BOOKPAGE BEST BOOK
A 2022 WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK
A 2022 NYTIMES BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF 2022
A 2022 BOOKLIST EDITORS’ CHOICE
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST KIDS’ BOOKS OF 2022
2023 ALSC NOTABLE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
2023 CCBC CHILDREN’S CHOICES LIST
2023 BANK ST COLLEGE BEST BOOKS

*"A lovely, tender reimagination of people in a long-past time and place."—Kirkus, starred review

*"A love letter to the joys of country living and family life as well as the importance of treasuring the past and all its stories."—School Library Journal, starred review

*"The tale’s strong sense of place undergirds Blackall’s witness to the way environments change over time and stories survive long after material objects disappear, in a thoughtful, expertly executed work that looks simultaneously forward and back."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

*"Blackall’s illustrations are everything here, incorporating wallpaper, fabrics, and other items scavenged from the house melded together with ink, watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil to create vibrantly layered compositions with a tactile quality."—Horn Book, starred review

* "Genuinely captivating...A meditation on the creative process...Multifaceted and arresting...Irresistible."—Booklist, starred review

“a tender, layered masterpiece that itself deserves to be passed along for generations.”—New York Times

*"A sophisticated, openhearted ode to what truly makes a house a home...Vividly realized...."—BookPage, starred review

Praise for Hello Lighthouse:

A New York Times Bestseller and Caldecott Winner
 * "Blackall's charmingly old-fashioned art style is beautifully matched to this nostalgia-rich story, which imbues an antiquated place with warmth and wonder."L—Booklist, starred review

* "A delightful bedtime read perfect for one on one sharing."

—School Library Journal, starred review

* "It's a jewel of a creation and a gift to those who dream of retreat."

—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"I will be surprised if a more exquisite picture book will be published this year...Children will be fascinated..."

—New York Times Book Review

Praise for Finding Winnie:
A #1 New York Times bestseller and Winner of the 2016 Caldecott Medal
A New York Times Notable Children's Book of the Year

*"The sum total is as captivating as it is informative, transforming a personal family story into something universally resonant."—Horn Book, starred review

*"Little ones who love Milne's classic stories will be enchanted by this heartening account of the bear's real-life origins."—Booklist, starred review

*"A perfect melding of beautiful art with soulful, imaginative writing, this lovely story, penned by Colebourn's great-great granddaughter, is ideal for sharing aloud or poring over individually."—School Library Journal, starred review

*"The book strikes a lovely, understated tone of wonder and family pride...[Sophie Blackall] proves that she's equally imaginative at chronicling straight-on reality too."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Gorgeously illustrated...[a] delightful telling."—New York Times Book Review

"Exquisite"."—Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher

10/01/2023

K-Gr 2—A whimsical picture book that embarks on a journey of imagination. The story follows a child's imaginative transformation into a horse, where they envision all the possibilities being a horse would bring. The lyrical text is deceptively simple. While it seems to just be about being a horse, the story really opens the readers' minds to all the wonders of their imagination. Blackall's expressive art is the real star of the book. The mixed-media illustrations infuse the text with a sense of play and wonder. VERDICT A wonderful reminder of the power of imagination and a launching point for story hour discussions.—V. Lynn Christiansen

School Library Journal

2023-07-13
Oh, to be a horse!

Shakespeare’s Richard III begged for one, going so far as to offer his kingdom. This delightful book proposes the idea—if ever so briefly and if only in the imagination—of being one. Think of what you could try, see, and do—or not do—if you were a horse. What fun! What, ahem, unbridled freedom could be had! Each page in this charmer contains one easy sentence or phrase that expresses an idea about “horsiness,” allowing very young listeners or emergent readers to focus on the clear, simple language and to follow up with their own imaginative responses. The young narrator muses about what life would be like as a horse: galloping all day long, rolling around in the mud, giving a (human) sibling a ride to school, and getting to run around without clothes on (“unless I was in a PARADE”). Grown-ups sharing the book in a one-on-one or group setting should encourage children to engage in rich, speculative conversation about the advantages and disadvantages of being a horse. The colorful, sweet, gently humorous illustrations depicting an unfettered horse running freely and also in cozy, familial, and neighborhood settings were created with watercolor, gouache, pencil, fabric, and wallpaper and assembled digitally. The protagonist’s human family is brown-skinned; other humans are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

There’ll be no neigh-sayers for this one. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews