Are You a Horse?

By Andy Rash

For young cowboys and little scientists, an ARE YOU MY MOTHER? for the 21st century!

For his birthday, Roy's friends give him a saddle and some very specific instructions:

  1. Find a horse.

  2. Enjoy the ride!

Great! But there's a problem: Roy doesn't know what a horse IS!

What's a horseless, clueless cowboy to do?

Reviews and Awards

"The western-styled gouache art is packed with colors and peppered with lighthearted jokes.... Kids will enjoy knowing more than the hapless Roy with the final page showing an extremely unexpected horsy ride." - Booklist

"The gouache and India ink illustrations are comical and colorful, and the cartoon expressions capture the burlesque nature of the story.... A goofy giggle-inducing read-aloud." - School Library Journal

"Roy is one confused cowpoke. His friends give him a saddle for his birthday, but he doesn't know what it is. Luckily, it came with instructions: 1. Find a horse 2. Enjoy the ride. Except Roy doesn't know what a horse is, either. Thus begins Roy's cheery absurdist trek through the desert, trying to fulfill instruction number one by interviewing likely candidates a la P. D. Eastman's Are You My Mother?. Engaging cartoon illustrations, rendered in a toasty warm palette, show that Roy looks the part of a born-and-bred buckaroo, with his ten-gallon hat, boots, and Texas-themed belt buckle. But his comic level of ignorance shines bright as the Western sun when he approaches his first interview subject, a rusty red wagon. "Are you a horse?" he asked. "Nope, I'm an old wagon," said the wagon. "A horse is a living thing." A talking cactus, snake, crab, chameleon, and others all give him clues until he finally finds his steed and moves on to instruction number two in a hilarious closing scene that proves Roy's equestrian education still has a ways to go." - Horn Book

Purchase Options
Indiebound • Amazon • Barnes & Noble

Spring 2009
Picture Book
ISBN: 0-439-72417-1
Price: $16.99 US / $18.99 CAN
Trim Size: 10" x 10"
Page Count: 32
Foreign Rights: Scholastic
Translation Rights: Scholastic
Rights Available? yes

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