History on Horseback BOOK REVIEW

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Do you have a horse lover in your family?  Do you enjoy learning history through exciting, real-life stories?  History on Horseback: The Early Years from Sonrise Stable Books just might be what you are looking for.  I received a free softcover copy of this 197-page history laden horse series for kids.  The Early Years covers 1493 to 1866.  It is an adventurous history resource focused around horses and their role in history.

The History on Horseback series began with the author simply researching and working on a Christian Horse Study Guide. She quickly realized that there was some very interesting history in the making.  She anticipates that there will be a series of 3 books when her series is completed.  Volume 1 begins with the Spanish explorers and the arrival of horses in America and ends with the Civil War era.  Volume 2 will pick up with post Civil war and Volume 3 will cover up to the current day.  The History on Horseback Series is not currently a full curriculum.  There is an activity guide in the works that is scheduled to be completed towards the end of this year, 2020.  Her future hope is to have computerized interactive guides available with self-grading quizzes.  Once the study guides are completed it should work as a full semester or full-year curriculum.  For the time being it works well as a supplement or just for enjoyable reading.

The recommended age for this book is 12 and up.  I would agree with this.  My plan was to use this as a read aloud for my crew (1st grade and 10th grade).  I read the stories but failed to capture either of their hearts or interest.  My 1st grader liked listening to the stories, but even with them being short, I did not maintain her attention.  That being said, I LOVED the stories!  My thought is that it is definitely not made to capture the interest of my 1st grader (thus the age 12 and up recommendation) and my 10th grader dislikes or at least has no interest in both history and horses in general.

I am a horse nut.  My background is engulfed in horses (sadly I have never owned my own).  I rode and showed horses in both high school and college.  My degree in Animal Industries includes a specialization in Equine Science.  To say these stories intrigued me goes without saying.  I learned something from the very first sentence!  I did not know that there are "no true wild horses in the United States."  They actually descended from "tame" horses brought over from Spain.  I also enjoyed reading about the pit ponies in the coal mines.  Some historical topics that are covered include:

• horse racing
• slavery
• Lewis & Clark
• trains and transportation
• Oregon trail
• stagecoaches and Wells Fargo
• military
• Civil war

Table of Contents

There are a total of 53 stories.  So many tidbits and "nuggets" of information to learn.  I am really enjoying just "reading" about this fascinating history.  My love for horses no doubt taints my opinion a little, but the stories are well written, non-fictional, and very informative.  We all know that story of George Washington, but do we know about his horses?  Have you ever heard the story of Nelson and Blueskin and what they meant to Washington?  Don't be mistaken, the history is not just about the horses.  It does include plenty of historical information at the time of the events surrounding the stories.  The stories are short, generally just 2 pages, but packed with information.

The book concludes with a wonderful teaser for Volume 2.  It shares the story of Jim Key ("The Most Wonderful Horse in the World") and his trainer/owner William "Doc" Key.  What an enjoyable story about a man and his horse.

I personally would recommend History on Horseback: The Early Years if you are a history buff and/or love horses.  If you enjoy good historical stories then this series would fit the bill.  I agree that it is written for and would best suit age 12 and up.  I can't wait for the other two volumes and the study guides.  You can connect with Sonrise Stable Books on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, and YOUTUBE.

Please also be sure to click on the graphic link below to see what my fellow Crew members have to say about this historical horse series.

A Little Help From My Friend

Not a very becoming picture, but a daily reality in my world.  I scoop the poop in my chicken coops daily.  This helps keep this fresh, clean, and hopefully disease free.  Lately, I have had a little helper.  One of my new hatches from last summer. Her name is Matilda (Tildy for short) and she is a mutt easter egger.  Pretty sure her dad was one of my mixed barred rock roosters and her mom was most likely one of my easter egger hens.  She is a sweetie and very curious about everything.

She has now decided that my "poop" bucket is a fun place to investigate in the mornings.  It makes for a challenging task of trying to clean the coop.  I get so tickled with her.  She wasn't always so curious and generally didn't want anything to do with me until she got a jealous streak with her "sister" Dolly.  Dolly is my personal "parrot."  Dolly is another mixed breed hatch from last year, the same hatch as Matilda. Completely different parents as Dolly came from a different coop than Matilda (different parents).  Dolly has been my personal buddy since she was a chick.  She is the one that loves to fly up or over to my shoulder and just perch and hang out.

My perch buddy, Dolly

Matilda decided one day that the extra attention might be kinda nice.  She started coming over every time that I would pay attention to Dolly.  Before you knew it we were friends too and now she will actually come over when I call her by name.  If you have chickens and want them to be "pet" friendly, aside from certain breeds that tend to be pet friendly, you just need to spend LOTS of time with them when they are chicks.  When I touch and pet my chicks on a daily basis, I tend to get more pet-friendly results.  If I miss a day or two, they seem to quickly revert back to wildness.  Chickens are funny, curious creatures and I doubt you would ever regret trying them out should you ever feel the urge to get some.  They provide wonderful eggs, meat if you choose to slaughter them, and endless entertainment.  Laughter is good for the soul.  Bless you today!

The Easter Storybook REVIEW

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

If you are looking for good, Christian resources then be sure to see what David C Cook has to offer.  We have purchased several resources (including music, books, Bible studies, and curriculum) from them over the years.  The Easter Storybook (40 Bible Stories Showing Who Jesus Is) written by Laura Richie and illustrated by Ian Dale is no exception to the quality of what they have to offer.  I received a hardcover copy of this wonderful 93-page book of illustrated stories of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.  The hardcover is very nice quality with sound binding and the pages are of semi-gloss heavier paper quality.

The opportunity to review this wonderful resource has been such a blessing and the timing couldn't have been better.  This Covid-19 pandemic has turned our world upside down.  Church services in person have been canceled and the Easter play my kids and husband had been practicing so hard for will not happen as originally scheduled.  Being able to read this Easter storybook about Jesus and the resurrection has brought joy to Little Bug's world.  She LOVES the Easter story.  The bonus is that there is so much more than just the Easter story in this book.

The book covers the life of Jesus before, during, and after his death.  It is written for ages 4-8 (grade level 1-2).  It is great as a "read to me" for younger children and easily read by "read by myself" level readers.  Little Bug is in the 1st grade and was an early reader in Kindergarten.  She doesn't have any problem reading and understanding the stories.  The graphics are wonderful (colorful and well done).  The stories are told with greater detail than usual.  Laura tells the stories with insights (a kind of narration), what the characters are thinking or might have thought at the time.  It really draws you into the story more and helps for greater understanding for little ears.

Table of Contents

There are 40 stories that begin with Jesus in the Temple and end with His ascension.  The stories are from the 4 gospels and the book of Acts.  Each story opens with a scripture verse (ESV), tells the story, and ends with a thoughtful question that brings the story to life for the reader (real-life application).  There are scripture reference notations throughout the stories so you can refer to passages in your bible.  As a bonus there is a story allegory in the back of the book, The Light, that tells the story of the blind man having his vision restored.

Wonderful graphics

Storytime in the evenings with daddy is very special to Little Bug and this book was perfect for their nightly readings.  She has been enjoying the stories tremendously.  They read one story each night.  She loves the Easter story anyway and this book has brought new joy to her.  Other uses for this book could be for simple bible study or scripture memory.




We give The Easter Storybook two thumbs up!  What a wonderful resource to show and pour God's love into your little one(s).  It is also available as an ebook.  We loved this book so much that we just placed an order for The Advent Storybook also by Laura Richie.  You can connect with David C Cook on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, and YOUTUBE.

Be sure to click on the graphic link below to check out what my fellow Crew members have to say about this wonderful Easter resource.