Honey and the Valley of Horses by Wendy Orr

Whimsical and tinged with magical qualities, this is a charming story of a family who escape the ‘big wide world’ in their converted ice-cream truck and end up in a magical valley without a route to return. In this strangely isolated world they spend many years learning to survive and living without the accoutrements of modernity (except for those items they took with them.) The family co-exists with their recently widowed Nan-Nan, with a few chickens that they took with them, a whole lot of love and a very limited supply of reading material. They soon learn to live for an uncertain future, but they also learn to rely on the local horses who, almost by magic, seem to be able to read their needs and befriend and support the human intruders into their magical realm. When the youngsters, Honey and Rumi, have lived for seven years in the valley their father, Papa, gets ill and it becomes clear that they cannot remain in this idyllic environment forever. But are they ready for a return to the world that they no longer know and that they had left behind so long ago?

This is a simple tale told through the perspective of Honey. Her connection to her favourite horse implies a connection and communication that has mystical possibilities. Interspersed throughout the simple tale of survival and ingenuity are chapter breaks with text and email communications from their family who are outside the magical valley and are concerned about their disappearance. The essence of the story though is the resilience of a warmly connected family despite their unusual circumstances. With hints of the Covid landscape that disrupted many lives, this is however just a lovely, warmly joyous story for 8-12 year olds who still consider magical possibilities which older readers might dismiss.

Themes: Fantasy, survival, isolation, family, horses, resilience.

Carolyn Hull