Green, Sara. The Morgan Horse.

Green, Sara.  The Morgan Horse.     Scholastic/ Childrens Press   24p  $20.65  978-0-531-20878-6   elem     Series: Horse Breed Roundup (Scholastic/Childrens)        VG-BNes        

This book provides an overview to the Morgan horse breed, one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States, which was named after one of the best-known owners of the breed.  Morgans are versatile animals.  They excel in a wide variety of arenas, as work animals on farms and ranches, carriage horses, riding horses, and as show animals.  Readers will be drawn to the colorful full-page photos of horses engaging in dynamic activities.

Colorful, liberal use of photographs will engage young readers, who may linger over the brief text to discover the history of Morgans or top examples of the breed.  The text, written with high/low and reluctant readers in mind, offers basic breed characteristics, and the sidebars include information that will appeal to youngsters.  (Did you know that the Morgan is the state horse of both Vermont and Massachusetts? Or that Morgans were bred for U.S. military use until 1951?)

The book is shorter than many encyclopedia articles, but has the advantage of the excellent photos. This is an appealing volume, even for readers who are not "horse mad".                                   --Hilary Welliver