Snowman
The True Story of a Champion
Aladdin · Print & ebook · August 29, 2017
A chance meeting between a riding instructor and a run-down horse unveils a hidden talent and sparks a remarkable rise to fame in this nonfiction illustrated middle grade book by the author of the Marguerite Henry’s Ponies of Chincoteague series.
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- Who it’s for
- A true horse story where an unlikely talent takes center stage.
- Themes
- A plow horse's rise to champion, Hidden talent
- Genres
- Horses, Kids Biographies, Horseback Riding
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Start with this bookAbout this book
A chance meeting between a riding instructor and a run-down horse unveils a hidden talent and sparks a remarkable rise to fame in this nonfiction illustrated middle grade book by the author of the Marguerite Henry’s Ponies of Chincoteague series. Snowman, an Amish plow horse, was bound for the meat market when Harry deLeyer, a Long Island riding instructor, spotted him at auction.
Continue reading
After making eye contact with the gentle giant, deLeyer decided to purchase him for eighty dollars. At first, Snowman was just a horse that children rode during lessons, but when deLeyer sold him to a neighbor, the horse had other ideas. He would jump the high fences so he could return home. Harry then began training Snowman as a show jumper. Less than two years out of the plow fields, Snowman won the 1958 horse show jumping Triple Crown—the American Horse Shows Association Horse of the Year, Professional Horseman’s Association Champion, and Champion of Madison Square Garden’s Diamond Jubilee. Snowman was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1992.
An Unlikely Champion
A true horse story where an unlikely talent takes center stage.
Come here for
- A real-life rise from plow fields to the show-jumping ring
- The appeal of a horse whose story made sporting history
Expect
- Illustrated nonfiction about Snowman and riding instructor Harry deLeyer
- Horse-show victories grounded in real events
Where it sits
| Horses | 91% |
|---|---|
| Horseback Riding | 68% |
| Kids Biographies | 40% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Horses
- Sports Biographies for Kids
- Horseback Riding
- Authors
- Catherine Hapka
- Publisher
- Aladdin
- Published
- August 29, 2017
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- A plow horse's rise to champion · Hidden talent
- Reading lane
- Horses