Mattie Richardson's Horses in History Series by Author Mattie Richardson/Appaloosy Books Review

With four girls you bet we have some horse lovers in our home!  A is especially drawn to them and she loves history so she was super excited to read the 4 books in the Mattie Richardson's Horses in History Series from Author Mattie Richardson/Appaloosy Books.

Notice the horse canvas in the background!

Our Books - they are autographed copies as Mattie signed them (thanks Mattie!).

A reading on the go...

This series includes Appaloosy, Dusty's Trail, Golden Sunrise and Day and Night.  We were also blessed to receive a PDF Enrichment Guide for the Day and Night book.  This book series is geared for ages 8-14; however, children with an interest in history or horses younger or older may really enjoy these books as well.  These books vary in length from just over 60 pages (Dusty's Trail) to over 140 pages (Day and Night).  They can be read as a stand-alone book as each focuses on a different historical period.  All four of these stories are told from the perspective of the horses, which is so fun.  There are a few hand drawn illustrations sprinkled in throughout this series but it doesn't have a lot of pictures.  Let's Dive in!

Appaloosy

Illustration from the book

Here's what A said about Appaloosy.  Appaloosy is told from the perspective of Storm, a beautiful Appaloosa stallion, belonging to the Nez Perce Indian Tribe.  He dreams of being a free horse but they give him to a young warrior named White Feather, who is somehow different from the rest of the people (he is kind to Storm).  Storm is sold several times, stolen, and often escapes.  Eventually he finds himself with a young girl named Faith, who is kind and loving and Storm cares for her very much.  Soon he is faced with a choice to go back to Faith or become a free horse as he as always dreamed to be.

Golden Sunrise

Illustration from the book

Here's what A said about Golden Sunrise.  Golden Sunrise is told from the perspective of Cheyenne, who is a golden mare who lives with her owner, Jared.  She and Jared are best friends.  One day Jared is convinced to volunteer as a soldier in the Texas fight for independence.  He and his best friend, Reuben, saddle up and head to San Antonio, Texas where they are stationed to defend the now famous Alamo.  They make more friends but the advancing Mexican army is determined to snuff them out.  This is a really good story but it does have a very sad ending.

Dusty's Trail

Illustration from the book

Here's what A said about Dusty's Trail.  Dusty's Trail is told from the perspective of Dusty who lives on a farm with his owner, Levi.  One night, Levi and Dusty sneak away to help deliver the mail by horse, otherwise known as Pony Mail (Yes, the Pony Express!).  At first, Dusty isn't interested in delivering the mail but soon he finds courage he never knew he had in order to save Levi.

Day and Night

Illustration from the book

Here's what A said about Day and Night.  Day and Night is told from the perspective of Tucker and Shiloh who are young horse brothers that are separated at the beginning of the book.  Each chapter alternates perspectives back and forth between them.  They are very different from each other even though they are brothers.  They find themselves in the middle of the American Civil War.  Tucker ends up with the US Army and Shiloh ends up with a young confederate girl who disguises herself as a soldier.  The brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the war.  You find yourself wondering - Will they make it out of the war?  Will they see each other again?

And here's what B said about Day and Night.  Day and Night is from two young horses' perspective, they are brothers called Shiloh and Tucker.  The chapters rotate from each horse so that you can understand what each one is experiencing.  They get separated and have to cope with their new lives.  Tucker, a deep brown stallion, gets sold in the US Army and works with a young soldier named Ben.  Shiloh, a speckled gray stallion, gets stolen by a young girl named Sarah, who is fiercely devoted to the Confederate Army.  Each one faces the hardships of fighting in the Civil War but both of them think that their cause is greater.  They remember their old lives and think of each other often wondering if they will ever meet again.

Our Enrichment Guide

As I mentioned earlier, we were blessed to receive a PDF Enrichment Guide for the Day and Night book.  This Enrichment Guide is pretty fantastic.  It is divided into 8 parts and is such an amazing resource.  It includes reading comprehension questions, vocabulary, history information, living history, horses in history, geography, biographies, creating your own stories, further reading ideas and more!  I really like the crafts, games, and activities within the living history portion.  We have not completed this guide but the girls and I are definitely going to start exploring it soon now that they have both read Day and Night.

Author Mattie Richardson

Mattie Richardson has published five books and specializes in historical fiction and is most well-known for her horses telling the stories!  I love that she became an author at just 13.  B is thinking she might want to be an author and she is currently 13 so that's super fun to think about.  When she is not writing, Mattie enjoys playing the fiddle and guitar, riding and training horses, studying American history and spending time with her family.

A and B are both avid readers so now that A has finished this entire series, B is now reading it.  She is already onto her second book.  I'm looking forward to hearing her thoughts about the entire series as well.  These books are really fun, especially for those that love horses and history.  They are really enjoyable reads.

Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read more reviews of Mattie Richardson's Horses in History Series and see what others have to say.

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