Horses wild and tame by Iris Volant

Ill. by Jarom Vogel. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781911171324
(Age: 7-70) Highly recommended. Themes: Horses - History, Horses - Breeds, Horses - Famous, Horse-riding. Horses Wild and Tame is an extremely informative and visually engaging book that explores the evolution of horses, horse breeds, famous horses, work horses, sports horses and horsemanship. Iris Volant's facts are accessible, easy to read and the facts will capture the interest of readers of all ages. The author takes us on an historic journey from the dawn of time, when the small dog-sized North American Eohippus had front feet with four hoofed toes and back feet with three-hoofed toes. Wild horses gallop across Asia and European steppes, and the reader can find out about the Mongolian wild horse, the takhi once extinct in the wild that has been returned to its homeland through conservation work around the world.
From cave paintings to Pegasus from Greek legends, war horses, to royal Indian steeds disguised as elephants to win battles, Volant includes unusual, the unfamiliar and more familiar to pique the reader's curiosity. Anna Sewell's novel Black Beauty initiated reforms in both England and America in the kinder treatment of work horses. Even the index is pictorially presented with a Clydesdale, an Appaloosas and an Arabian steed standing tall.
Jarom Vogel's digital illustrations, boldly gallop, prance and race across the pages, and with their clean, crisp edges the horses stand out from their natural settings. Each scene is detailed, the charioteer's horses are shown ready to leap of the pages, racing around the Colosseum while the silver and cream winged Pegasus flies high in the deep blue night sky.
Horses Wild and Tame is an excellent non-fiction book suitable for students engaged in researching animal biology, their adaptations to environments and for writing information reports from realistic texts. Horse lovers and readers who enjoy factual material presented in a stylish and visually appealing way will thoroughly enjoy this book.
Rhyllis Bignell