Kat and Brandy

Kat loves horses, but after tumbling off a startled pony as a younger child, she fears getting back in the saddle, despite encouragement from her equestrian mother and the family stable’s riding teacher—“The fall kept replaying over and over in her head.” Then Kat locks eyes with Brandy, a timid white rescue pony with a scar running down her face, and instantly feels a connection. Both remain hesitant, though, and their initial encounter doesn’t go smoothly: when Kat reaches to touch Brandy’s muzzle after offering her a carrot over the fence, the horse “reared, spun, and ran off,” startling Kat so much that she tumbles to the ground. But patience and courage on Kat’s part gradually build Brandy’s willingness to trust, and together they overcome their fears. An unhurried, extended narrative by Schwarzenegger Pratt (Good Night, Sister) is echoed in soft-focus, digitally painted illustrations by Brown (I Love You, Jingle Bell Baby), which capture the tender bond between human and pony, and vividly evoke the stable and riding ring where that bond deepens, one step at a time. Human characters are portrayed with pale skin. Resources conclude. Ages 3–7. (Nov.)