The Appaloosy book series, written by “North Dakota’s Teen Author” Mattie Richardson, contains four short paperback books geared towards middle school readers. Not only do they contain accurate and descriptive historical facts, but they are written in such a charming manner and engaging style that they are difficult to put down. Since the books recount the details of four different American historical events, told from the perspective of horses who lived and worked through these events, I suppose they could be called “first-equine” accounts.

In Mattie’s first book, Appaloosy, a young, freedom-loving stallion endures the hardships of the Nez Perce wars and is finally tamed by a young girl in the western wilderness. Dusty’s Trail tells the story of the Pony Express. Golden Sunrise follows a horse and her human through the Texas War for Independence. In Day and Night, brother horses are separated in the Civil War, much like their human counterparts.

Because these stories are written as if told by the horses themselves, they can include many educational details including true historical figures and places, in a comfortable way, without exposing younger readers to the violence that often accompanied these events. The horses give a running commentary on the human emotions and background of the events without needing to include gory details. The stories are told in such an endearing manner. Though it is obviously fictional, it gives a very real feeling as though one is a spectator learning the history firsthand.

Our family has horse-loving teen girls who also enjoy American history. These books were perfect for them. We used them as light summer reading, but they would be very advantageous as an addition to any literature based American history course as well. Not only are they educational, but they are also quite entertaining. When I learned that the author wrote these books as a teenager, I was very impressed. I would highly recommend the entire series.

On the author’s website, there are links to purchase the books, which are currently selling for $7.95 for a paperback version, or $2.95 for a Kindle version.

-Product review by Erica Beyea, The Old Schoolhouse®, LLC, August, 2018