Subbie and his mate by Corinne Fenton & Mark Wilson

Readers who love a heart-warming story and those who love a story about horses are in for a treat with Subbie and his mate. Subzero was the grey horse that won the Melbourne Cup in 1992 and Fenton has written a moving story about his life, first as a winner of the Melbourne Cup and then as the horse that Graham Salisbury, the Clerk of the Course, rode to conduct horses on the racecourse and to help train apprentice jockeys. Later Graham and Subbie went to schools, hospitals and aged care homes bringing cheer to everyone they met as well as raising money for charity.

In the extensive teacher’s notes, Corinne Fenton tells how she was inspired to write the story and met Graham and Subby, getting to know both well. She wants readers to know their story, about how they influenced horse racing and how they brought smiles to the faces of all they met. Her narrative certainly is successful. It was heart-warming to read the story of how an outstanding racer became a horse who with his beloved Graham, raised over $12 million for charity.

The illustrations by Mark Wilson are outstanding. His pictures of Subby and his surroundings stand out. On the front cover Subby looks like a cute old grey horse with a whiskered nose, while other illustrations show him galloping to the winning post in the Melbourne Cup, chasing after a runaway colt at the races and standing calmly with a young apprentice on his back. Wilson has used a variety of mediums, including doing sketches with lead pencils, watercolours, and acrylic paint, all making the horse come alive on the page. In the teacher’s notes he tells of his use of photographs and films to get a realistic picture of Subby.

This would be an exceptional book to use in a classroom if the Melbourne Cup was being discussed, and an ideal one when talking about human-animal interaction.

Themes: Horses, Melbourne Cup, Subzero (Horse).

Pat Pledger