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Today is Day 1 of a series of picture book reviews for the holidays from Amy M. O’Quinn.

The 12 Days of Christmas & Other Winter Holiday Picture Books for Kids - Day 1

Title: Rocking Horse Christmas
Written by: Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrated by: Ned Bittinger
Hardback: 32 pages
Ages: 4-8
Publisher: Scholastic 1st edition (October 1997)
ISBN-10: 0590929550

In Rocking Horse Christmas, a little boy finds a rocking horse under the tree and names his new friend Shadow. The boy and his horse immediately begin their magical journey to faraway places. They ‘rock’ to the West and lasso an outlaw. They ‘rock’ to the East and joust with knights. Later, they go on an imaginary safari on an African plain, race in the Kentucky Derby, and fight a Tyrannosaurus Rex in the land of dinosaurs. The boy and his horse are inseparable, and their adventures are new every day.

But, as all children do, the boy begins to grow up and leave the toys of his childhood behind. The rocking horse watches sadly from the bedroom window as his boy gets older and begins to pursue other interests. Eventually someone moves the rocking horse to the attic where he stays for many years, wondering why his boy has never come back.

Then one year on Christmas Eve, a blizzard strikes and breaks the attic window. Shadow is knocked over and covered with snow. But suddenly he hears a child’s voice when a little boy and his father come into the attic to check on the broken window. They find the rocking horse lying on the floor. When Shadow looks into the eyes of the father, he knows at once that this man is the boy of yesteryear. The man tells his own little boy of the rocking horse, “He’s my oldest friend in the world.”

Of course, the little boy claims Shadow as his horse, and the two of them begin adventures of their own. They ‘rock’ away and fly through the air all Christmas Eve…and they don’t come home until dawn.

This beautiful Christmas story is delightful. The rocking horse is outgrown and put away, but never forgotten. And the memories are never forgotten either as a special friend and the gift of imagination passes from one generation to the next.

The illustrations by Ned Bittinger are full of detail—exquisite and a feast for the eyes. They are actually paintings rendered in oil on linen, and the colors are rich and vibrant. Mr. Bittinger’s work compliments and completes this touching Christmas story by Ms. Osborne, and the pair has truly created a heartwarming holiday masterpiece that is sure to become a treasured book for generations to come.

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Amy M. O’Quinn is a pastor’s wife and former schoolteacher-turned-homeschool mom of six. She is also a freelance writer who enjoys jotting down ideas around the fringes of family life. She specializes in non-fiction, and her work has been published or acquired by magazines including Jack and Jill, US Kids, Guideposts for Kids, Learning Through History Magazine, Highlights, GEORGIA Magazine, Homeschooling Today, International Gymnast, etc. She is also a product/curriculum/book reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and a regular columnist for TEACH Magazine. The O’Quinns live on the family farm in rural south Georgia. You can find Amy’s blog, Ponderings From Picket Fence Cottage, at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/picketfencemom.