The Green Colt is the fourth book in a series called The Adventures of Wilder Good. This series is about a twelve year old boy named Wilder Good, and his name is symbolic. Wilder loves the outdoors, and the author’s appreciation for nature rings true in his writing.                           

For those just meeting Wilder in this book, we find him on his grandfather’s ranch in Texas, where he was supposed to be spending the weekend. However, his grandfather, Papa Milam, surprised him by saying he wanted him to stay longer, because he was giving him a “green” colt to break. Wilder has a lot to learn, from picking a name, to getting close to a colt, to the traditions of the cowboy coming from Mexico, to learning to communicate with more than just words. Wilder learns what it means to truly own a horse.

This book was very well written. I’m from the southeast, so I don’t know much about horses or ranches, but it felt authentic to me. The language was rich, and the imagery was vivid. I felt as if I was walking the ranch with Wilder, feeling his pain or his excitement. When a children’s book can bring me to tears, I feel the author is perhaps sharing a bit of himself, and that is what makes a book relatable to both young and old. The book is aimed at children 9-12 years old, and I find that an accurate suggestion, though the book does deal with animals and nature, so there are a couple passages that might be intense for younger readers, especially the animal lover in your family. We used it as a family read-aloud for my seven and ten year old boys, but it’s certainly appropriate for independent reading. This is a modern living book that I was happy to share with my kids, and I believe the rest of the series has to be just as good.

-Product review by Brittney Rutherford, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, March, 2017