BOOK GIVEAWAY & Craft: Rain And The Reading Horse

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Learning a new skill makes us all feel vulnerable. When the learning is hard going, we can feel embarrassed or even ashamed. Sometimes we just need the space to breathe deeply and a gentle presence to act as a patient witness to our efforts. In the heartfelt picture book, Rain and the Reading Horse, authored by Maria Gianferrari and illustrated by Hannah Salyer, a young girl who is struggling to read finds her own pace and path to learning with a little bit of help. She discovers peace in the rhythms of barn chores and the calm company of a horse named Snow. Gianferrari’s lovely, well-chosen prose, matched with Salyer’s dreamlike painting, creates a story that will inspire children for whom reading does not come easily. Sometimes we all need a creature, who stands by without expectation or judgment, to hear us.

To celebrate the publication of this hopeful, gentle book, I created a pair of small reading horses out of recycled cardboard. To honor Salyer’s delicate, blue-tinged illustrations, I painted my horses light blue and by chance, I happened to have variegated blue yarn in my craft cabinet for their tails and manes.

After I made my miniature horses, I walked them to the pond near my house for a photo shoot. I wonder what passersby thought of that! Next, I will corral them and introduce them to the students in my school library. I’m sure emerging readers will love to practice with these tiny reading horses as their audience.

MATERIALS:

  • Toilet paper roll
  • Water-based paint
  • Craft sticks (4)
  • Yarn
  • Hot glue gun (low temperature for kids)
  • Cardstock
  • Ruler

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Paint the toilet paper roll
  2. Trace the profile of a horse’s head onto cardstock, cut it out and paint it. You can add a face if you’d like!
  3. Trim the tips off the 4 craft sticks (I thought I might need an X-acto but it was easy to snip off the end of the craft sticks with a regular scissors.)
  4. With hot glue, adhere the horse head and the four craft stick legs to your cardboard roll. Paint the legs once the glue is dry.
  5. Wrap yarn into a “pony tail,” knotting it on one side. Glue the knot to the inside of the roll and then trim the tail as needed.
  6. This is the hardest step! Wrap yarn around the ruler. Glue one edge and trip the other. Then glue the “mane” to one side of the horse’s head. Repeat this step with the other side. This makes a thick, beautiful mane!

About the Author:

As a shy, animal-loving kid, Maria Gianferrari wishes she could have read to a horse like Snow. As a shy, animal-loving adult, she now gets to write about all kinds of creatures and the bonds that they share with humans. Maria lives in Massachusetts with her family and dreams of reading Rain and the Reading Horse to a horse! You can learn more at her website: mariagianferrari.com.

About the Illustrator:

Hannah Salyer’s work, including Packs: Strength in Numbers and Ancestory: The Mystery and Majesty of Ancient Cave Art, has been recognized by American Illustration and the Society of Illustrators. She teaches art to students of all ages, has a ceramics practice, and is co-founder of Underland Gallery.

38 thoughts on “BOOK GIVEAWAY & Craft: Rain And The Reading Horse”

  3. Margaret, I noticed the little horses when I was visiting the school library today! What a sweet presence they add and I love the tie-in to the book!

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  7. I know several horse lovers who will be very interested in and excited for this book and craft. Thank you so much for sharing, Margaret!

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  9. I am looking forward to reading this book to my PreK class! Who doesn’t love a horse?! The books looks and sounds beautiful. And the sweet horse craft is a great complement.

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  10. This is a wonderful book with beautiful artwork. As usual, Margaret has provided a fun and easy craft to inspire children (and adults!). Who wouldn’t want to curl up in a comfy chair with this book and read to their own sweet horse creations. Thanks for your amazing creativity and sharing a lovely new book with us Margaret!

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  11. I can’t wait to read this book with my students who struggle with reading! And they will be so excited to make the sweet little craft – I’m saving it my paper rolls!

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  13. Thank you for posting! This inspired me to check out more of Hannah Salyer’s work. I really like her wispy (or is it whimiscal?) art style. The illustrations really seem to capture the dream-like tone of the story here.

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