From Amazon.com
What would inspire ornery old farmer John Skipton to enter his 20-year-old workhorse in a pet show? Why, love, of course. Mr. Skipton has worked hard all his life, so hard in fact that he never had time for marriage, children, or "pets." He was always too busy tending the sheep and the cows or harvesting the fields and orchards. However, as old and gruff as he appears to be, he takes time every day to take a pitchfork full of fresh hay to his two old carthorses, Bonny and Dolly, who've been retired for more than 12 years. After years of pulling ploughs and wagons, and doing all the hard work that tractors do now, the two old horses lead a life of leisure down near the river, quite a steep climb for an old man like Skipton. When the country vet suggests the farmer enter Bonny in the Darrowby Fair Pet Show, Skipton dismisses the idea without consideration. But over the course of the next week, the old fellow changes his mind and makes a surprise appearance at the pet show. The lovely illustrations depicting the rugged beauty of the Yorkshire dales, the handsome horses, and the lively inhabitants of the community attending the fair bring an old-fashioned beauty to the telling of this charming tale.
--Colleen Preston
From Publishers Weekly
Old John Skipton tends his two aging cart horses well, even though they've been replaced by a tractor. He shows up at the Darrowby Fair with his grey horse, Bonny, as an entry in the Family Pets Class of showings. Both John and Bonny are dressed up and polished for the occasion, standing in line with other unusual pets and their owners: a pink piglet, a turtle, a nanny goat and a hooded falcon. But the winner is John's Bonny. Herriot, the all-seeing veterinarian, inspires his simple message of sensitivity and compassion by showing how much his characters love and care for their animals. The dimensions of thoughtful humor are as evident in this story as in all his writings. Brown's accompanying paintings add a necessary context, depicting, for example, the piglet's owner as a farm boy, the rabbit's as a sweet-faced little girl and the falcon's as a stately country gentleman. BOMC selection. All ages.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
