Bramble and Maggie: Horse Meets Girl (Candlewick Sparks)

My daughter loves horses. Most horse related books are too involved for her. (She's 5.) This series is just right. Brambles personality is amusing. This book demonstrates that animals see things differently then us and have their own personalities. Maggie is a responsible horse owner. These books focus on their relationship. Adorable.

Bramble and Maggie books are in constant demand with my students. I've bought them all for my office library. They are so much better than the average easy readers.

We love Bramble and Maggie! Cute, funny story with lovable characters. Great for any horse or animal lover. We are hoping the author will continue to write more for this series!

Cute story. My 6 year old one is a horse lover . All the sudden. SO I am trying to find some neat books that talk or tell about a horse.
This was a positive purchase. Cute and fun story. Fun to read.

Our six year old granddaughter is a 'horse lover' and the story provided a practical explanation of what's required for the care of a horse. The reading level was also perfect with a combination of familiar and challenging words for her exploration.

I just read the first or second page on Amazon and see grammar mistakes. Terrible.

Very cute story for a 6 year old girl who loves horses and really enjoys taking riding lessons, just like this little girl.

Bramble is a pony at a riding school who gets tired of going round in circles while teaching lessons. So she's given up for adoption but it must be the right child. Maggie wants her first horse and she matches perfectly with Bramble.

As a riding instructor, I found this heart-warming story realistic and a fun read, sure to please youngsters wanting their own pony.

There are more books in the series. Visit the author's site at http://www.jessiehaas.com/

Darling illustrations decorate every page in this valuable, educational girl-and-pony story. The girl does everything right, most importantly by learning about horses, by reading a book. The pony is realistically bored with going around and around the arena during riding lessons, willful, disobedient, and scared of strange objects, yet gentle and safe.

The authenticity and plausibility of the equine's behavior are refreshing. Most valuable is the fact that the girl handles the pony in ways that reflect correct horsemanship.

At the end, when the pony kicks her stall, the girl consults her book--a valid, authoritative source, and yet not an adult who might act as a deus ex machina and take the power away from the girl. Then the girl, on her own, figures out what the problem is and solves it, all in ways that are plausible and squarely in the realm of little girls' pony dreams. This is masterful story crafting!

The reason why I recommend that an adult discuss this book with young readers is that they might think that every time a horse kicks its stall, it's a good idea do whatever it takes to make the kicking stop. However, the most common kicking scenario I've witnessed is riding-school horses kicking or banging when kids appear with treats, and kids promptly giving treats to the next horse who kicks or bangs--a very bad idea because it rewards and reinforces an unacceptable horse behavior. That horse might kick that kid through the pipe corral, or accidentally kick that kid (or some other kid) the next time it's handled. Unfortunately, there isn't always an adult around to supervise. Making sure that young readers realize that they must never feed or reward a kicking horse is vital for safety's sake.

I sometimes have trouble finding a good book for my autistic 4yo granddaughter who reads fluently 3+ years above GL. This book will do nicely. I don't see anything that will trigger her and there is enough challenge for her reading without being inappropriate content.