About this item
Highlights
- Charlie had an ordinary name and lived on an ordinary ranch.
- 3-5 Years
- 10.1" x 10.2" Hardcover
- 32 Pages
- Juvenile Fiction, Animals
Description
Book Synopsis
Charlie had an ordinary name and lived on an ordinary ranch.
But Charlie was no ordinary horse.
Charlie knew he could fly.
But no one believed him.
The naysayers said,
"Ordinary horses do ordinary work.
They drag wagons, pull plows, and haul hay.
Horses can't fly.
So don't even try."
So begins the story of Charlie, an ambitious, determined and speedy horse who, with the help of some friends, proves once and for all that horses can fly. After years of toiling away as a work horse, Charlie, finally recognized for his incredible speed, ends up as a prize racehorse of Leland Stanford, the founder of Stanford University. Stanford has commissioned a photographer named Eadweard Muybridge to take high-speed photos of Charlie as he runs. During the trials, Muybridge snaps a photo of Charlie with all four hooves off the ground, thus proving all the naysayers wrong -- Charlie can fly!
Conveyed through Charlie's story is an important message of resilience and self-confidence, telling young readers, "Believe in yourself, give it a try! How else will you prove that you can fly?"
Review Quotes
Charlie knows he's one fast horse, but all he's used for is work -- until Leland Stanford realizes his potential. If you know a little about horse and photographic history, and Leland Stanford, you might recognize the name of photographer Eadweard Muybridge. If not, we don't want to spoil this 2025 Spur Award finalist for illustrated children's book. "It's always fun to learn something new that actually happened," one Spur judge remarked, while another said it's "Nicely written about a historical event with a moral included."-- "Roundup Magazine" (6/1/2025 12:00:00 AM)
Winner, 2025 Will Rogers Medallion Award, Western Young Reader/Fiction/Illustrated-- "Will Rogers Medallion Award" (6/1/2025 12:00:00 AM)
Finalist, 2025 Best Western Children's Picture Book-- "Western Writers of America" (4/1/2025 12:00:00 AM)
An original and fun read from start to finish... Will have a very special appeal to young readers with an interest in horse themed picture books... A welcome and enduringly popular pick for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library picture book collections for children ages 4-8.-- "Midwest Book Review" (12/1/2024 12:00:00 AM)
2024 EQUUS Literary Corral Winnie Winner-- "EQUUS Film and Arts Festival" (11/24/2024 12:00:00 AM)
"This is a charming, easy to read book full of colourful illustrations, suitable for ages 3 to 10yrs. The story is inspired by real life history which is summarized at the back of the book for parents to share with their little horse lovers. Many will recognize the famous photo of the Courier and Ives illustration of a horse pulling a buggy and "flying" as all four hooves are off the ground. The Rider recommends the book as the perfect addition to any youngster's personal bookshelf."--Glenda Fordham "The Rider" (7/15/2024 12:00:00 AM)
About the Author
Pamela Kleibrink Thompson is an internationally acclaimed recruiter, career coach and animation veteran (she was a production manager on The Simpsons and an ink and paint supervisor on Paramount's animated feature Bebe's Kids [1992]). Pamela is also a popular speaker at colleges, film festivals and entertainment industry conferences around the world. She was named one of the top-10 recruiters by Animation Magazine and has worked with clients around the world, such as Walt Disney Animation Studios, Technicolor, Framestore and Lucasfilm Animation. She has written for over 80 publications, including Media History Digest, Art Business News and Animation World Network.
Melissa Bailey is an award-winning illustrator, author and smiley person. She is the author-illustrator of two books, Pug Is Happy (2018) and Imara's Tiara (2022, cowritten with Susan R. Stoltz), and has illustrated over 50 books, including Steve the Dung Beetle, for which she won the 2019 Moonbeam Awards silver medal for Best Illustrator.
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