Kids into books: War Horse<br>

Author: Michael Morpurgo

Illustrator: Michael Forman

Age: 8+ years

Publisher: Mammoth, $16.95


"You feed up old Zoey, Mother, while I see to him. Oh, isn't he grand, Mother? He's red almost, red-bay you'd call him, wouldn't you? and that cross down his nose is perfect. Have you ever seen a horse with a white cross like that? Have you ever seen such a thing? I shall ride this horse when he's ready. I shall ride him everywhere and there won't be a horse to touch him, not in the whole parish, not in the whole country."

"You're barely past thirteen, Albert," said his mother from the next stable. "He's too young and you're too young, and anyway father says you're not to touch him, so don't come crying to me if he catches you in there."

"But why the devil did he buy him, Mother?" Albert asked. "It was a calf we wanted, wasn't it? That's what he went in to market for, wasn't it? A calf to suckle old Celandine?"

"I know dear, your father's not himself when he's like that," his mother said softly. "He says that Farmer Easton was bidding for the horse, and you know what he thinks of that man after that barney over the fencing. I should imagine he bought it just to deny him. Well that's what it looks like to me."

"Well, I'm glad he did, Mother," said Albert, walking slowly towards me, pulling off his jacket. "Drunk or not, it's the best thing he ever did."

(Continued on page 11 of War Horse).

*Next week's book: Hatchet: The Truth by Gary Paulsen