Horse books are truly their own genre. Many adults turn to the well-trod canon when they meet a horse-loving kid: Black Beauty, The Black Stallion, My Friend Flicka, National Velvet, and Misty of Chincoteague. I honestly don’t know how well these books hold up to the young readers of today. But — hot take alert — it’s never a bad idea to forgo a classic in favor of giving a kid a good book written recently. A kid with a voracious appetite for horse books can always come around to the classics. That’s why they’re considered classics! So whether you’ve got a picture book reader in your life or one who’s graduated to middle grade books, there are simply so many great horse books for kids out there. I’ve rounded up a collection (see what I did there?) for a range of ages and interests. See what connects with the horse kid in your life. Giddy-up!
Horse Picture Books
Middle Grade Horse Books
This list is only a start to the wide world of horse books for kids, which is a good thing. A horse kid who loves to read is fortunate to have such a deep well to pull from, from classics to new literature. Meanwhile, if you’ve got a fish kid, a kid who loves all animals, or the elusive but special plant kid, we’ve got more recommendations where these came from.