The story and writing is wonderful and fun, the illustrations beyond beautiful. The writing talent of Catherine Hapka and illustrating talent of Ruth Sanderson is a truly winning combination and brings this loving story of Elska to life. I instantly fell in love with the cover of the book, a design resembling that of a leather diary, complete with lock, all centering around a portrait of Elska herself, in all of her glorious beauty.
Also worth mentioning is that, at the end of the story, there is an excellent section dedicated to the life and facts of Icelandic horses as well as Iceland. This is a great learning follow-up and gives the reader memorable and interesting background information such as Icelandic horses are a gaited breed, meaning in addition to the typical gaits that horses perform, Icelandics can also perform a tolt and the flying pace. Also, Icelandics are the only breed of horses in Iceland today. Bringing any horse into the country is forbidden by law and once a horse is taken out of the country, it is not allowed back in.
In closing, it is mentioned that Icelandic horses are given Icelandic names, no matter the place of their breeding. This is an age old tradition still carried out. Elska is a commonly used Icelandic name used for mares and means “friendly” or “playful” - two things that definitely describe Elska within this story, perfectly.
The second in the Horse Diaries series is Bell’s Star; the first chapter is included at the end of Elska, leaving the reader eagerly anticipating its arrival. This series promises to quickly become a favorite for every girl who either desires or has desired to be surrounded by horses. This is a true horse lover’s dream and will be cherished for years to come.
*overall rating 4.5/5
Article comments
1 - Purple Butterflies
This sound like a book my Daughter would love.