Beauty

A Horse Named Beauty

She was an old horse, but she still had a lot of life in her. And she was the best friend Luke needed after the pain of his parents' divorce and the move to Oklahoma to live with his difficult grandfather. Luke could have had a younger horse, one better able to keep up with a boy's adventures. But it was Beauty that Luke loved. He found himself sharing his hopes, dreams, and fears with the old horse. With Beauty, Luke was finally able to enjoy life again.

Until one night, in a wild storm, Beauty escapes from the corral into a terrible trap, and Luke is faced with the most difficult decision he's ever had to make.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7 His mother's failed marriage and a forced move to his grandfather's Oklahoma farm infuriate 11-year-old Luke. Beauty, an elderly mare, becomes his confidante as he adjusts to a rural lifestyle. Beauty also functions as a lovable equine counterpart to cranky Grampa. Grampa teaches Luke resilience and determination, while the horse teaches him horsemanship skills. In this first-person narrative, Luke comes across as a believable character, who's impulsive, obstinate, and narrow-minded. Wrapped up in his own problems, he's slow to accept the teachings of Grampa and Beauty. However, when Beauty suffers a tragic accident, Luke proves himself man enough to put her out of her misery. Wallace's ``life goes on'' theme makes this a timeless story, its mood somewhat reminiscent of the boy/animal relationships in Mary O'Hara's My Friend Flicka (Harper, 1973) and Wilson Rawls' Where the Red Fern Grows (Doubleday, 1986). Despite Beauty's death, a happy ending matches Luke with the mare's young granddaughter. Wallace's smooth writing effectively balances action scenes with Luke's thoughts to involve readers. The short, cinematic chapters might attract reluctant readers. Charlene Strickland, formerly at Albuquerque Public Library , N.M .

Bill Wallace grew up in Oklahoma. Along with riding their horses, he and his friends enjoyed campouts and fishing trips. Toasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories to scare one another, and catching fish was always fun.

One of the most memorable trips took place on the far side of Lake Lawtonka, at the base of Mt. Scott. He and his best friend, Gary, spent the day shooting shad with bow and arrows, cutting bank poles, and getting ready to go when their dads got home from work.

Although there was no "monster" in Lake Lawtonka, one night there was a "sneak attack" by a rather large catfish tail. Checking the bank poles was not nearly as fun or "free" after that point, but it was the inspiration for this story.

Bill Wallace has won nineteen children's state awards and been awarded the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for Children's Literature from the Oklahoma Center for the Book.