Rating: WORTHY!
This was an interesting and charming book for young kids who are fans of horses (and who isn’t?!). Narrated nicely by Diane Marty, and colorfully illustrated and colorfully and boldly illustrated by Nikki Dyson, this little picture book follows young Cassidy (and what a great name for a horse? No? yes? I liked it) as she roams around the ranch looking for fun and adventure. She finds it. She’s a bit too young to take part in the cattle Round-Up. Why anyone would want to spray weed-killer on cows anyway is a mystery to me (that was a farming joke). She does find out that she’s perfect to help a little calf-pint who’s in trouble down by the river.
This is likely part of a system whereby there's also a plush pony which is electronically linked to the book so when certain words are spoken out loud (and assuming the toy is within range), it reacts, presumably by neigh-saying or whatever. I can see parents saying aye-aye after the first couple of hundred whiny whinnies!
The great thing about this book is that it engages all the senses. You can swipe the screen (this book worked well on my smart phone, FYI) with your fingers, you can listen to the voice-over, you can enjoy the artwork, you can taste the adventure, and you can smell those electronic circuits warming up as you read…wait, maybe not so much on that last one. I thought it was a great way to get kids listening and reading. You can even engage them in seeking out interesting animals and items in the pictures. I recommend it.
