Shadow: The Curious Morgan Horse by Ellen F. Feld , Jeanne Mellin Search Amazon for other books by or about Ellen F. Feld. Rating: Reviewed by: John L. Hoh, Jr.

Shadow is a pony, a Morgan pony. One day Shadow meets a rooster who crows about leaving the fenced barnyard and meeting a bear and scaring the bear off and meeting deer at the magic pond. Anyone who drinks from the magic pond can fly. Shadow asks if the rooster drank some water and could fly. The rooster shuffled off scratching the ground stating that it got dark and he wanted to get back to the farm so he didn't have a chance to drink the water from the magic pond.

Shadow's mother, Frosty, informs the young pony that the Rooster is just making up stories. But Shadow is convinced there is a magic pond and she wants to fly. She should have been suspicious with Rooster's lame excuse for not drinking the water and being able to fly.

A fortuitous storm fells a tree that flattens part of the fence. So while Frosty is busy eating grass Shadow sneaks through the opening in the fence and explores the world outside the fence.

The wild life she meets all help Shadow learn about the other animals in the world. Bees can sting, skunks can be smelly, and deer tend to be suspicious. She does find a pond-does it really have high-flying magical water? And is Shadow lost and how will she get home?

The anthropomorphic animals in the story can greatly help the child learn about security and dangers outside in the world. It is also a lesson in not trusting every story a blow-hard crows about.

I suspect the author loves Morgan horses. Her other tiles? Blackjack: Dreaming of a Morgan Horse, Frosty: The Adventures of a Morgan Horse, Rusty: The High-Flying Morgan Horse, and Robin: The Lovable Morgan Horse.