Title: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses

Author: Paul Goble

Illustrator: Paul Goble

Publishers and Year: Harper Collins Publisher, 2010

Number of pages: 25

Genre: Fiction

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses is a tale about a young Native American girl who ran away with a band of wild horses. Many years later, upon returning to her native village she desperately wishes she were back with her true family, the horses. In the end she is reincarnated as the mate of her favorite horse.

This book serves as a literary window because it gives us an insight into a culture that may not be familiar to all readers. Throughout the story the readers pick up little pieces of Native American culture. For example, through the main character the readers are able to witness the appreciation of animals that is help in Native American circles. Although her story is fictional, it carries very real elements of their culture that serve as windows for children learning to value cultures that are different than their own.

The illustrations also do a good job of capturing the folklore of a tale passed down from generation to generation. The power is evenly distributed between the horses and the humans. This is portrayed in the way our human characters are close in size to the horses. This speaks of the unity in spirit the girl believed to have had with the horses.

The illustrations in this book perfectly speak to the freedom of spirit displayed by the main character. The illustrator used a lot of vibrant colors, which give us the boldness. There is also a lack of framing which allows us to step into the story with the characters. Overall, this book is about finding passions and following them, even if they are non-traditional. The young girl knew where her heart was and what she was passionate about. When she allowed her family to talk her out of it she was miserable. So this story speaks to children about doing what they love and pursuing their passions, no matter what they might be.