We had the opportunity to review the four book set of the Mattie Richardson’s Horses in History Series and the brand new Day and Night Enrichment Guide for the Day and Night book from Author Mattie Richardson/Appaloosy Books. The series includes the titles: Appaloosy, Dusty’s Trail, Golden Sunrise and Day and Night.
Reading. I love it and so do my children. When I find a book series I think they will enjoy, I want to share it with them. We received four books from the Mattie Richardson’s Horses in History Series to review as members of the Homeschool Review Crew. I love literature books and have enjoyed reviewing the many we have read this review season. Now, I have found more with the Mattie Richardson’s Horses in History Series of books.
The books are soft covered, but sturdy with a glossy finish. The pages are a great weight and the book will travel well on the road. We took them with us on a recent road trip where there was plenty of time for reading a good book.
Something that makes this series extra special is that author Mattie Richardson is a homeschool graduate. She not only knows how to write, but understands her readers (homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers), teens. Although she is all grown up, she started writing and published her first book when she was only 13. Now, she has added young adult books to her repertoire.
Although all four books are part of a series, you can choose anyone to read and in any order. Each books takes the reader on a historical adventure. I have one child completing American History this schoolyear, so they enjoyed reading about Tucker and Shiloh, horses separated during the Civil War in the book Day and Night. Mattie has a different take in her books and writes from the horse’s perspective, “put down in words.” If you ever wondered what an animal may be thinking, we get an idea in each of the books. Tucker and Shiloh are bothers that find themselves on opposing sides, Union and Confederacy. History lessons continue in Golden Sunrise as readers find themselves in the middle of the Texas Revelution.
Dusty’s Trail was a quick read at just 67 pages. The books are geared towards early teenage readers, but older teens may also enjoy the books for casual reading in between school work or a nice weekend read. We met Dusty, an American Quarter Horse. We learned a bit about the Pony Express, which sought riders willing to “risk death daily,” because of the on the job dangers.
Appaloosy is the story of an Appaloosa horse, Storm, and the book that started the series. If you do not love horses, Mattie’s book will make you fall in love with them and actually see horses as “human” with emotions. Storm is a “wild child”, but finds the love of two different human owners that cause the decision to be made of whether life in the wild is better than being with someone who loves you.
The series is personal to Mattie with book dedications to family members and friends as well as her Grandpa Mike. The artwork on the book covers are ones from her Uncle David and sister Clarissa.
Although the series was started 10 years ago, Mattie continues to improve on the books series with the new addition of a Day and Night Enrichment Guide for the Day and Night book. The guide includes comprehension questions, vocabulary and other activities to enhance the learning. The guide is available separately for purchase as a PDF download.
We really enjoyed the book series. These books are definitely keepers and ones you should consider for your horse and history lovers.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
You may purchase the Mattie Richardson’s Horses in History Series.
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