Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
4 out of 5
Recommended for older children, horse lovers, fans of US hisory trivia.
I'm familiar with Steamboat through Craig Johnson's Longmire books, so I couldn't pass up a chance to read this book.
It's a well told short bio of a very famous 'bucking bronco' who became one of Wyoming's state symbols.
The illustrator is known for his character/cariacature style of art, and there is so much detail here!
I do like that the story shows that animals have their own personalities and differences too, and that everyone needs understanding and acceptance to find what they are meant to do with their life.
The 'bookended' story of a grandfather and his granddaughter was a great storytelling device as well.
Perfect book for family storytime.

The illustrations are nice, although not my personal preference for style.
The story is a good one, and remind me of a short version of many of the horse books I read as a child. However, there were a lot of words on each page for a children's picture book. The timeline felt rushed.

Ages: 2-3rd grade (too much on each page for younger than 1st grade)
Recommended: only if there is a child who is extremely interested in horses or rodeo but is not ready for chapter books.

This honest review is given in exchange for a free ebook copy from NetGalley.

Description:
A Home for Steamboat tells the story of a horse who just didn’t want to be ridden.

Liked:
I thought the sepia tones for present day, and bright colours for the past, worked well. The faces have a lot of character.

Disliked:
The art style is definitely not for me, personally, although I’m sure others will like it. The horse’s anatomy was at times wrong in ways which didn’t seem purely stylistic - for example, on the page when Steamboat is being bought from his first home. The writing seems halfway between poetry and prose, although I can’t work out whether that’s intentional or just a result of bad typesetting. Either way, it’s not poetic enough to be beautiful, not informative enough to make for a strong story, and not simple enough for children. I’m not really sure who the market is here. I’m also not really convinced that there’s a big difference between a horse on a ‘spiritless’ ranch who is being shipped around to rodeos to buck off riders, and the home he ends up in. It seems the owner cares a bit more about him, but he’s still being shipped around rodeos to buck. I ended up just feeling bad for Steamboat.

Read This If:
As above, I’m really not sure who to recommend this book to - I don’t understand who it’s targeted towards.

A cute story about an incredible horse. I appreciated that the author emphasized the importance of a strong relationship between the owner and Steamboat, and I loved that Grandpa was pictured working alongside his granddaughter on the ranch. This book would make a perfect gift for a young ranch hand!