When a young farm girl with only a plow horse to ride, dreams of championships riding fine horses, she is swept into a contest where the prize is self discovery and appreciation.
My Champion showcases the rugged San Juan Islands in 22 original oil
paintings by Susan Carnes. The story is about a 10-year-old girl and her
faithful workhorse on a glorious adventure of self-discovery. In the natural
arena of Driftwood Cove, wistful dreaming and child’s play turn into a
contest with nature’s fury only a champion could win. The longing to be
unbridled and run free is graced with love in this portrait of a wild heart.
Master storyteller Ernest Pugh narrates the story on an accompanying CD,
enlivening the vivid imagery with his expressive voice.
Excerpt
"Riding such a horse it was possible to pass safely through magic doors to the school of the wild and beyond".
Professional Reviews
Clarion Book Review
CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK
My Champion
S. K. Carnes
Illumina Publishing
48 Pages
Hardcover $22.95
978-0-9718600-7-0
Four stars (out of Five)
Tess is in love with horses and dreams. On the days that she is allowed to ride one of the work horses from her family’s farm, Tess rides out to her special place by the sea. With her faithful companion, Star, she gathers driftwood and builds a shelter there. Tess collects treasures of special shells, fishing nets, and old shoelaces. One day when Tess visits, she discovers an old orange crate with the word “Valencia” on it, and so her shelter becomes Valencia. The eagle soaring above watches over Star and his human companion and tries to talk with the old horse. One day, Tess notices that her bracelet of shells is missing and in its place is a bracelet with a crystal heart. Perhaps the young girl who lives above the cliff has found her treasure spot and has come down to play.
Through her beautiful illustrations, the author introduces her characters to the reader. Along the way, the reader learns to dream about things to come, just as Tess dreams about riding on a champion horse before a cheering crowd of spectators. Although the text is lengthy for a picture book, it is an excellent read-aloud story to be shared between adults and young readers. The accompanying CD presents a reading of original poetry by John McCutcheon, with narration of the story by Ernest Pugh and original music and sound effects by Alan Boyne. Young readers will enjoy this book at various levels of understanding, first as a simple story of a girl and her horse, then as a story of accomplishment and pride.
Joyce Rice
Revieve by RD Larson, author of books and stories
This is a beautifully written and beautifully illustrated book for children and grownups alike. The inspirational story captures the sense of self-worth.. Two friends, a girl and her horse, each want more from life and each grows to find that the true self is the worthy self. The marvelous majesty of the draft horse named Star and the freedom-loving child, Tess, fills the reader's heart with optimism and joy. The bravery and the honesty of this book can not be denied. This is a story book that will be loved by families and children for decades, with one generation passing it on to the next. I would like to see it nominated for the Newbery Medal. ~~ RD Larson
RD Larson
author of Evil Angel (www.BeWrite.net), Mama Tried to Raise a Lady, Saving Reverend Clayton, Sorrow's Field, Doors: Five Stories of Strong Women, Marian Riles, Soft-boiled Detective (www.ebooksonthe.net)
www.RDLarson.com
www.rdlarson2000.blogspot.com
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