Sophie Blackall, If I was a horse, Lothian Children’s Books, Sept 2023, 26 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780734422712
Shortlisted for the 2024 CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award
This joyous picture book celebrates a child’s imagination and the desire to escape from the expectations and constraints of childhood.
I read somewhere that the inspiration for this book came from a comment made by Blackall’s ten year old son who said, ‘If I was a horse, I would gallop all day’.
Blackall’s books are all full of whimsy and eye-catching details, and this is no exception. Have fun looking for these details with your little one: a rubber duck floating in the bathtub; found objects on a bedside table; hair scrunchies on the horse’s legs… the list goes on.
‘About this book’ tells us that the illustrations ‘were made using a combination of traditional and digital media, including watercolour, gouache, pencil, fabric and wallpaper, and assembled in Procreate and Photoshop’. Blackall uses warm, pastel colours to convey a sense of comfort. All the illustrations are spread over a double-page which makes them immersive.
My favourite page is ‘If it was raining, I wouldn’t care, I would roll in the mud and laugh and laugh’. We find the horse rolling on his back in a puddle in the rain, with a look of absolute bliss on his face.
What would you do if you were a horse?
Suitable for ages 3 to 100!
Teachers notes are available on the publisher’s website.
Reviewed by Gaby Meares
