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Post by tintin on Nov 7, 2011 17:04:48 GMT 1
I saw the picture of the cover of this book on the website and became more and more tempted until I had to buy it.
What a loveable horse! What a charming story! What beautiful illustrations!
A book that makes you smile and which will appeal to heavy horse lovers of all generations (and probably recruit a new generation)
PLOT
Charlie is a heavy horse belonging to Mr Spinks a farmer in Shropshire. Charlie is in his twenties and has just been retired to grass and is a bit bored and lonely.
Every day at five o’clock fresh apple tarts are served at the local pub. Charlie, with that sense of timing not unknown in working horses, leaves his field and makes his way to the kitchen. He soon gets a new job ringing the pub bell.
The illustrations in this book are fabulous. The horses faces have been only very slightly altered from life to allow a range of emotions to be splendidly expressed (resentment and surprise are particularly good)
The only very, very mild criticism is that he is a Shire horse and is a very light chestnut with a flaxen main and tail. Neither myself or my father, and he saw many heavy horses when they were a regular part of life, have ever seen a Shire or a Clydesdale with this colouring. It does make him incredibly cute, but is probably more typical of the continental breeds of heavy draught horses they have in the US. I am only really putting this criticism in with the hope that someone will prove us wrong...
Fantastic book!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2011 19:40:14 GMT 1
Thanks for the review tintin, you've inspired me to buy a copy!
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Post by Claire on Nov 7, 2011 21:13:37 GMT 1
I feel like grabbing a copy too now. I've always liked the picture on the cover and I love shire horses, as well as being a fan of the author, so I think I'd enjoy this one. One for the Christmas list methinks The breed standard for Shires does not allow chestnut as far as I know and I've certainly never seen any, but perhaps Charlie was part bred. Chestnut with flaxen mane/tale is my fav colour - its so glam! ;D
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2011 18:34:16 GMT 1
Well I got my copy today and already read it. What a lovely book for younger readers and oldies too ;D Agree the illustrations are wonderful.
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Post by susanb on Nov 9, 2011 19:22:12 GMT 1
I mentioned this to tintin on another thread (not sure where), but the Five o'Clock Charlie started as a short story in Marguerite Henry's Album of Horses.
If you like the Wesley Dennis illustrations in Charlie, you MUST get Album of Horses...there are over 20 short chapters (mostly it's just a few non-fiction pages on a particular breed or type of horse, I think the story about the workhorse is the only proper story in the book), and each chapter has a full page, full color illustrated plate by Dennis.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2011 7:22:05 GMT 1
Thanks for the info susan, it sounds lovely
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Post by susanb on Nov 10, 2011 12:32:11 GMT 1
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Post by Claire on Nov 10, 2011 12:42:12 GMT 1
Love Wesley Dennis. Defo in my top 5 illustrators list.
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