“Nope, that little feller don’t look like he’ll amount to much.” That’s what almost everyone said about Little Bub. But young Joel Goss knew that Little Bub was a special colt, even though he was a runt. When schoolteacher Justin Morgan asked Joel to gentle the colt, Joel was thrilled. Little Bub proved that size and breed weren’t everything, and soon word spread throughout the entire Northeast that this spirited colt could pull heavier loads than a pair of oxen and run faster than thoroughbreds.
This book, which garnered a Newbery Honor, presents the true story of a simple horse who, through pure spirit, rose to greatness. His descendants, who helped settlers tame the American wilderness, would become a world-famous breed of American horses, the Morgan.
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"Reading this book was like opening a door onto the past and descovering the history of a breed from the eyes of the very first foundling Sire, back at the beginning of all things. This story came to me from America, travelling a great distance like the adventure that this one little colt went on all those years ago. The most famous of the American breeds; the Morgan, is brought vividly to life in this charming childrens tale that is a national treasure of a horse/ pony story. The book may be designed with the younger audience in mind, but it is something that can certainly be apreciated by the older reader due to its subject matter and any equestrian enthusiast who is a fan of this particular distinctive breed of horse will love this tale. What i found most captivating about this book was the beautiful eye-catching front cover that depicts the young colt in pastel, which is a trait that extends to other works by Marguerite Henry (such as 'King of the wind' and 'Misty of the Chincoteague'). Its the stunning illustrations within the book that add that unique and classic touch, which really does help to bring this delightful story to life. This is a must read for any pony-mad child, but also one of those books that will be apreciated by any equestrian who enjoys finding out the history of the horse. It is a small volume that deserves to be displayed and which will take pride of place upon the bookshelf."
— Lucinda (4 out of 5 stars)
“A thing of beauty in every respect and a treasured addition to the home library.”
— Washington Post" It was a very good book. "
— TP, 2/13/2014" The true story of a man who developed the Morgan horse breed that still exisits today. Well done, entertaining, informative, with great characters. Good story to teach kids a little history :) "
— Lisa, 2/12/2014" This is a youth book. I learned about Morgan Horses. This is from my "horse days". "
— Rayette, 2/12/2014" A fun reread! Was impressed with the history, again, and its another book that covered the life of the horse, but neatly done. I'd forgotten how much the horse went through. Enjoyable read! "
— Kendra, 2/7/2014" It was a greate, cute, and funny story. Almost anyone would love it. "
— Abby, 1/31/2014" A much loved book I read as a child. If I remember correctly, a Walt Disney program featured a movie of Justin Morgan. Anyone else remember Sunday evenings at 6:00PM. I can still hear the music and I vividly recall watching it in colour for the first time! This was the only night I was allowed to watch TV while eating dinner. Come to think about it, that was pretty nice of my rather old school parents to let me do that. "
— Elhara, 1/31/2014" Great book about the Justin Morgan horse. "
— Karen, 1/30/2014" While this book flashed me back to my childhood, frankly I really dis-remembered lots of parts. Made things up. Completely fogot the plot. So it was like reading it anew. Basically a short story, and a history at that. "
— Tara, 1/28/2014" A much loved book I read as a child. If I remember correctly, a Walt Disney program featured a movie of Justin Morgan. Anyone else remember Sunday evenings at 6:00PM. I can still hear the music and I vividly recall watching it in colour for the first time! This was the only night I was allowed to watch TV while eating dinner. Come to think about it, that was pretty nice of my rather old school parents to let me do that. "
— Elhara, 1/27/2014" A classic--this a great adventure story of historical non-fiction. Having married into a Vermont family, this is a particular favorite. Courageous, devoted, and purposed--Joel is a great hero! "
— Tracie, 1/26/2014" I read this book a while ago. My kids read it recently. Although a classic, and it is a charming story, I think the language is a bit dated. Both kids (one a very strong reader) struggled with some of the text. It also takes a lot of license with the facts and adds plenty of events that never took place. I know it's listed as fiction, but many people I know seem to think that it is non-fiction. "
— Ellen, 1/23/2014Marguerite Henry is the author of the popular Horseshoe Library, which includes such titles as Misty of Chincoteague; Stormy, Misty’s Foal; Brighty of the Grand Canyon; and King of the Wind.
Patrick Lawlor, an award-winning narrator, is also an accomplished stage actor, director, and combat choreographer. He has worked extensively off Broadway and has been an actor and stuntman in both film and television. He has been an Audie Award finalist multiple times and has garnered several AudioFile Earphones Awards, a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and many starred audio reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.