Backyard Horses - Horse Dreams Review for Christian Parents

Name: Backyard Horses - Horse Dreams
Author: Dandi Daley Mackall

Concern LevelLow

Concerning & Potentially Concerning Content

There is hardly anything to worry about in this great title. We will list out the handful of minor things we saw below. Ellie spends a lot of time daydreaming about owning a horse. Unfortunately, this comes at times in class. There are times when this may come across as a bit of an obsession. The author handles this well (e.g., by having a loving teacher speak with her about it), but it is good to know it is there. At one point, Ellie says she is “the only kid on the planet that doesn’t have a cell phone”. There is a quick mention of Ellie’s dad and her best friend’s mom driving into work alone together, which is not showing the boundaries Christian families would normally put in place. Ellie’s mom calls dad’s boss “sassy as sand and older than dirt”. She also refers to someone as “a couple sandwiches short of a picnic” (funny, but can make light of a serious condition).

VerdictHIGHLY Recommended

Our Thoughts

This is a wonderful Christan story from an author we have highlighted before (check out how many books she has written for your young reader, including a devotional for animal lovers!). In this story she brings really interesting characters and settings to life. Ellie, the main character, is a young girl who absolutely loves horses. She has a younger brother who she genuinely cares for who is deaf and uses sign language. We hear about this brother “praying about everything” and telling Ellie that there are no coincidences, only ‘God-things’. Her parents are really neat characters as well. Even Ellie’s teacher is shown in a really positive light (refreshing considering how teachers are often shown in books today). As far as the spiritual content, you know you are in a good place when you see a really thoughtful verse right up front (1 Samuel 16:7 - “but the Lord looks at the heart”). This particular story focuses on prayer, especially from a child’s perspective. Young readers hear Ellie say, “Praying isn’t like begging and crying. I don’t end up mad or sad. It just feels like God and I talk about the idea… Most of the time I feel better after I pray about it, even though I’m pretty sure God keeps saying, ‘Not yet, Ellie”. Along these lines, Ellie shows a very healthy approach to seeking God’s help on something she really, really wants (e.g., praying nightly). She even has a moment where she imagines Jesus smiling at her while she is praying. We also hear a reference to attending Sunday School. To cap things off the book ends with the NIrV translation of Ephesians 3:26. Just a great book and start of a series. One we HIGHLY Recommend.

Plot SummaryNote: This information is typically from the publisher.

Fourth-grader Ellie James has a great imagination. She spends a lot of time daydreaming of owning a black stallion show horse and winning trophies in the horse show. But when the answer to all her dreams and prayers gallops into her life, will Ellie be able to recognize it? Join Ellie and her quirky family in their exciting, horse-loving adventures.

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