Horse Crazy!: Fun Facts, Ideas, Activities, Projects, Games, and Know-How for Horse-Loving Kids »

Besides working, keeping and caring for horses since childhood, author Jessie Haas has written many popular children's books including her sixth book about horses for young riders, Jessie lives in Vermont with her husband, Michael, and her Morgan horse, River Echo Atherton.

Everyone knows horse-crazy kids - the 12-year-old who would rather hang out at the stables than at the mall, the 8-year-old who spends every spare minute curled up with a horse book, or the teenager who is more comfortable jumping in the show ring than learning to drive a car.

Horse Crazy! is a jam-packed treasure chest of a book that will keep horse-obsessed kids (ages eight and up) busy for hours on end. Nearly 400 pages of equine information are divided into three broad sections: In the Saddle (and the Stall and the Show Ring), In the Spotlight: Horses in the Arts, and In the Know: All About Horses.

"In the Saddle" offers practical information on working with horses, with all the details and fine points of horse handling that fact-obsessed kids crave. How do Western-style riders hold the reins? Is a helmet always necessary? What makes a rider successful in the show ring? The answers are all here, along with coverage of model horse shows, a look at the world of Thoroughbred racing, tips on how to choose a horse camp, information on career possibilities in the horse world, and much more.

"In the Spotlight" sets free the creative impulses of the young horse enthusiast. Kids may want to write horse stories, take a drawing pad and pencil to the stable, or wander around with a camera. Tips and friendly advice give young artists the confidence to get started. "In the Know" teaches kids about equine anatomy and history, horse adoption options, and what horses can safely eat.

Every section of Horse Crazy! is filled with fun sidebars, breed IDs, crafts to make for friends (equine and human!), amusing facts and bits of lore, horse wordroots, movies to see, books to read, and activities to share with horses. There is never a dull moment in the life of a horse-obsessed kid!

Children's Literature

Horse loving gals will squeal with delight all the way to the stables reading this book. Chock-full of facts, crafts, games, ideas, history, and know-how for the horse-lover; Hass seems to have managed to cover it all and make it accessible to boot. The book is divided into different sections: horse history; care, keeping, and showing; arts and crafts; and miscellaneous. Do not, however, let the sections fool you. In every one of them, you will find sidebars with factoids from horse history, famous horses from history, mythological horses, movies about horses, books about horses, and various craft projects. Hass has managed to make this plethora of information easy to flip through and accessible. The table of contents is very detailed. Each section has headings in red, and the text is neat and clean, allowing you to find what you want easily. Information is self-contained, so, you can jump around from place to place in the book. The illustrations are created with a pallet of roses and browns, keeping them from competing with the text or overwhelming the eye. At the end of the book, there is an extensive appendix for resources, glossary, careers, and other information. The only thing that Hass has managed NOT to do is make her book more gender neutral. While the information applies to everyone who loves horses, and the illustrations do have the occasional boy, the book was clearly designed to appeal to the feminine horse lover. It would take some convincing and coaxing to get your average boy over the somewhat froo-froo appearance of the book. Once you do, though, they will sure learn a lot. Reviewer: Patrick Hunter