Big Guy
A School Horse Story
by Celia Ryker
Illustrated by Kathy Connell
Rights Sold
Description
Awards & Endorsements
Author(s)
Celia Ryker
Illustrator(s)
Kathy Connell
Related Titles
| Publisher | Rootstock Publishing |
| Publication | Jun 18, 2024 |
| Format | Paperback/Softback |
| ISBN | 9781578691739 |
| Pages | 184 |
| Dimensions | 5 x 8 |
| Age | 10 - 12 |
| Price | 14.99 |
Big Guy
A School Horse Story
For fans of Black Beauty and A Horse Named Sky, here’s a new middle grade novel by award-winning author and former horse trainer Celia Ryker with illustrations by Kathy Connell. Big Guy is about a show horse who has big changes to face, and who learns that friendships can last beyond the time you share together.
Big Guy is a big horse dealing with big changes. His looks and talent have helped him win blue ribbons at the biggest horse shows in the country. But when old age and injury make him unfit for winning prizes, his owner retires him to a position as a school horse, giving riding lessons to children. At the school horse barn, Big Guy meets Shorty, Kaiser, Slippy and many other horses who teach him about running in wide open fields and being part of a herd. Uplifting, funny, and sweet, Big Guy is a simple story told from the horse’s point of view that reads like a night under the stars, or an afternoon racing to a hay field.
Reviews, Awards & Endorsements
Review
“Engaging, endearing, and downright charming…There’s something so timeless and special about this story of horses as told through the eyes of horses. It’s an ideal read for horse lovers of all ages.”
—Shawn T. Anderson, writer, author, and former president of the League of Vermont Writers
Author
Celia Ryker
The first career of author Celia Ryker was with horses. For more than thirty years, she trained horses and taught students on Southeast Michigan’s hunter jumper circuit. The characters in this book, horse and human, are based on people and animals she has known.
Celia Ryker’s first book, Walking Home: Trail Stories, was a Gold Winner in the 2022 Human Relations Indie Book Award in Travel, and Silver Winner in Motivational Memoir and Personal Determination. Her second book,
Illustrator
Kathy Connell
Dr. Kathy Connell was raised in Northern Illinois, and has had horses in her life since she was a child. Her love of horses led her to become an equine veterinarian. After completing veterinary school in Illinois, and an internship in Florida, Kathy moved to Michigan where she worked for fifteen years with the author’s husband, Don. Kathy then moved to Oregon where she continues to work as an equine veterinarian. As an artist, Kathy draws, paints, and sculpts. She’s recently begun carving and building wooden rocking horses.