The Jockey & Her Horse (Once Upon a Horse #2) - by Sarah Maslin Nir & Raymond White

About the Book

"Fourteen-year-old Cheryl dreams of being a jockey, and when she meets three-year-old thoroughbred Jetolara, both know they were born to race together. Inspired by the true story of Cheryl White the first Black female jockey."--

Book Synopsis

Following in the hoofprints of The Flying Horse, Pulitzer Prize nominee Sarah Maslin Nir and Raymond White Jr.'s The Jockey & Her Horse is the second title in the Once Upon a Horse series. Illustrated with black-and-white art by Laylie Frazier, it is inspired by the true story of the first Black female jockey, Cheryl White, who raced to the finish line on her horse, Jetolara.

Cheryl loves horses. She's been studying thoroughbreds at her family's horse-racing stables since she was old enough to ride on the shoulders of her father, a famous horse trainer. Cheryl wants to be a jockey. One problem--she is a girl, and there has never been a Black female jockey in history!

Jetolara is a young thoroughbred finding his place in the herd. When Cheryl literally falls onto his back and Jeto sprints off across the pasture, Cheryl discovers that she doesn't just want to be a jockey, she is a jockey--and she and Jeto were born to race. Together, girl and horse make history and show everyone that once you learn to love yourself, the world is yours.

Review Quotes

"Sarah Maslin Nir has drawn on a life in love with horses to craft this wonderful novel based on the girlhood of the first Black woman jockey, Cheryl White. Like White, Nir knows the exhilaration of pounding hooves as well as the profound connection that can form between a horse and rider. This is the kind of history we all should know: a moving story of courage and resilience." --Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner

"Young readers, especially those who are girls of color, will find a spark in White's achievements. Pulitzer ­Prize-­nominated Nir takes the notion of a horse book and elevates it to a work of inspiration."--School Library Journal

About the Author

Sarah Maslin Nir is a New York Times reporter, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and the author of Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love with an Animal and The Flying Horse, published by Cameron Kids. She lives and works in New York City.
Ohio-based Raymond White Jr. hails from a family of racehorse professionals and has held almost every job there is in the racing world--jockeys' agent, exercise rider, assistant trainer, groom--except for jockey, like his sister, Cheryl, because he was too tall! The Jockey & Her Horse is his first book.
Laylie Frazier is a fine artist and illustrator inspired by the natural world. She lives in Houston, Texas.