Maestoso Petra (Horse Diaries Series #4) »

Jane Kendall is the author of the critically acclaimed young adult historical novels Miranda and the Movies and Miranda Goes to Hollywood. She was an enthusiastic rider growing up, and on one memorable occasion went Christmas caroling on horseback. She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Ruth Sanderson has illustrated books for children of all ages, including Summer Pony and Winter Pony. She lives with her family in Ware, Massachusetts, and her favorite hobby is horseback riding.

Vienna, Austria, 1938

Maestoso Petra is a world-famous Lipizzaner stallion. He has spent years in the Spanish Riding School, training to perform the complex airs above the ground that only Lipizzaner can accomplish. But when World War II breaks out in Europe, he learns to think less about performing and more about survival. Here is Maestoso Petra’s story . . . in his own words.

Children's Literature

A Lipizzaner, the breed featured in this book, one of the "Horse Diaries" series, tells this story. A reader may first be disconcerted when reading that Maestoso Petra caught "my first whiff of the rich aroma of coffee, for in those days Vienna was a city of coffee and coffeehouses" (p. 31), but, if a reader accepts a horse speaking as an elderly human reminiscing, the story is so intriguing that one does not mind words literally coming straight from the horse's mouth. The book subtly incorporates facts about the breeding and training of Lipizzaner horses with historical information about World War II. Maestoso Petra's early life is spent in Piber in southeastern Austria, until he is selected for training at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. In magnificent stables and galleries, accomplished trainers slowly and gently teach the intricate dances and air-borne movements that characterize the breed. Maestoso Petra shares that he was annoyed when he learned not intelligence but body-build allows only Lipizzaners to carry out these exciting moves. Maestoso Petra's story then describes Hitler's rise, how humans and horses survive, the breed's rescue from likely extinction by General Patton and some American cowboys, and throws in a dash of gender equality. All, mixed together, provide a captivating story that will charm the young person with an interest in horses or in little known information about World War II. Written at a seventh grade Fry readability level, with difficult, multi-syllable words understandable in context. This book is part of the "Horse Diaries" series. Reviewer: Mary Bowman-Kruhm, Ph.D.