GREENWOOD, Mark (text) Frané Lessac (illus.) Midnight Walker, 2014 unpaged A$27.95 NZ$29.99 ISBN 9781921977718 SCIS 1641851
Dedicated to the Light Horsemen and their horses is this moving, colourful yet factual account of Australian mounted soldiers in World War I that culminates in one of the last great cavalry charges in history. Among the first to leap the enemy trenches was Lieutenant Guy Haydon riding his beloved mare, Midnight. But before that part of the story we read of their life in the Hunter Valley, joining up, sailing to war, then battles in desert areas and finally the great charge at Beersheba.
The factual prose is interspersed with poetic lines concerning Mignight and both are backdropped by the strong colours used in the gouache illustrations. End notes, photos and a map provide some extra source material. RT
