Terrible Horses: A Story of Sibling Conflict and Companionship

By Author / Illustrator

Raymond Antrobus, Ken Wilson-Max

Genre

Family & Home

Age range(s)

Publisher

Walker Books

ISBN

9781529502787

Format

Hardback

Published

04-04-2024

Synopsis

In an exciting collaboration between Raymond Antrobus and Ken Wilson-Max, comes a truly authentic and stunningly evocative picture book on brother-sister dynamics and how creativity and storytelling can help resolve conflict and enable better understanding.

My sister and me fight!
Push Pull Hurt Hide.
We would not use our words.

This little boy does not get on with his sister. They misunderstand each other, struggle to communicate, and they fight. Afterwards, there's a lot of hurt, heavy feelings and loneliness. In order to escape their constant rowing and clear his head, the boy often retreats to his bedroom when he writes his stories. He writes stories about terrible horses - trampling and galloping - and he, a lone pony, who cannot compete and cannot speak. But what happens when his sister finds his book? Could it be a way for them to finally understand each other?

Filled with empathy and poignance, Terrible Horses is a beautiful and powerful story of managing anger, reflection and learning to see someone else's perspective.

Reviews

Terrible Horses tackles the issue of sibling rivalry in an unusual but powerful way. We meet a boy with an older sister who "PUSH, PULL, HURT". Then the little boy hides and enters his imaginary world through art as he draws horses and himself as a pony, lonely and isolated.

This book explores the arguments siblings have which begin over simple issues but can escalate and cause separation and isolation. Of course Terrible Horses has some resolution and a development of understanding between the children, which is wonderful to share.

This book was shared by a class of 6-7 year olds who could see themselves in the story and noticed that the boy had hearing aids like some of the children in their class.

Picture book / Reviewed by Maria, teacher