The message may seem obvious to some, but that will not deter young horse lovers and beginning readers of fantasy, who will be absorbed by the details of equistrian care, the magic of the animal's transformation, and the excitement of the late-night rides. In so doing, she frees herself to grow up. This time she promises herself to let it go when it is grown. Too late she realizes she has not heeded the storekeeper's warning "Never say that any creature on this earth is yours." She withdraws into herself again-until Bella returns, bringing her injured foal for Irina to nurse. One cold winter night, the animal leaves the child to run through the hills with a herd of wild horses. She is happier than she has ever been, especially when her Bella takes her on thrilling midnight rides. As the wooden horse gradually comes to life, Irina blossoms. The proprietor, sensing her need for it, gives Bella to her, and tells her about a live Bella, a beautiful, once-wild horse that used to belong to a local farmer who mistreated her. Irina sees the old rocking horse in a junkstore window and decides she must have it. Grade 3-6-In this fast-paced fantasy, a neglected wooden horse is changed back into the beautiful mare it once was, through the loving care of a shy, lonely, preadolescent girl.
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