Animals Books

Paws and Reflect: A Special Bond Between Man and Dog co-authored by Neil Plakcy and Sharon Sakson is an excellent anthology that will even appeal to cat lovers. Heck, even if you aren't owned by any pets, you'll still love this collection of short stories that honors that loyal, loving bond shared between these ostracized men and their four-footed bestest friends. The 25 humble tales range from heart-tickling to heartbreaking, entertaining and uplifting. As someone who's worked nearly 20 years in animal rescue, I tend to get a little bitter at times. I keep this book close to my bedside for those days when I need my faith in mankind restored.

The collection of stories is told in first person narrative from several names I recognize from previous readings - like Steve Berman and Victor J. Banis. The stories are as diverse as the men who contributed them, and arranged under the chapters: Dogs of Our Childhood, Dogs Who Make Connections, What We Learn from Our Dogs, Making the World a Better Place for Dogs and Exasperating Dogs.

There are so many special moments collected here: Charles Busch's poignant and nostalgic "The Guardian Shepherd," Steve Berman's mystical and meaningful "Shi Happens," Victor J. Banis' heartwarming and heartbreaking "The Girls," Jay Quinn's amusing and affecting "Travis" and Kevin Anderson's comical and candid "The Dog Who Outed Me."

Contributing authors are: Charles Busch, Jonathon Caouette, Matthew Phillips, J. R. G. DeMarco, Donald Hardy, Steve Berman, Lev Raphael, Andy Zeffer, Jeffery Ricker, Michael T. Wallerstein, G. Russell Overton, Victor J. Banis, Jack Morton, Hal Campbell, Ron Nyswaner, Randall McCormick, Jay Quinn, Randy Allgaier, David Mizejewski, Justin Rudd, Kevin Anderson, Edward Albee, Alistair McCartney, Brian McCormick and Stephen Kwielchek.

A romantic series of short stores of love affairs between gay men and their dogs. Some are real tear jerkers, others quite funny, but all are endearing and a joy to read.

You don't need to be anything more than a dog lover to love this book. Its not about gender its about the dogs and the people they let love them.

I was worried that this would be someone's doctoral dissertation, but it's not. It is immensely readable--I have trouble putting it down. I was reading it in a casual restaurant when I read a passage about a terrier attacking a St. Bernard that made me laugh out loud. When I was a teen, we had a chihuahua who would bark and growl menacingly at the St. Bernard from across the street. When the St. Bernard had had enough of this, she'd just bend down and give our Rusty a big wet sloppy kiss that would drench tiny Rusty which would very effectively shut him up.

Beneath the main concept of gay men and their relationships with their dogs, there's also a subtle secondary story of gay men living happy, successful--and totally normal--lives. I'm recommending this book to all my friends.

I bought Paws and Reflect for my partner for Valentine's Day. He loved it and put it on my reading stack. And I'm so glad that he did. As the proud owner of a sweet one year old dachshund, we just recently decided to get his new baby half-sister, who is now five weeks old. We were a bit skittish about introducing a new dog into our household. Through stories both humorous and touching, Paws and Reflect has made me more aware of our bond with our current boy and made me excited about welcoming a new little girl into our family.

The writing in this anthology is superb. The short vignettes by both well-known and (to me) unknown gay men touched on so many points of dog ownership. Both the positive and the negative bonds were addressed, without a sense of respect and veracity

I LOVE "Goodnight Kisses" by the same author. This left me disappointed with the cheap mirror at the end of the book. But, hey, it's a baby book and my baby seems to like it just fine.

We bought this in a discount bin when my daughter was about 4 months old. Now she is 14 months old, and although the book is getting a bit dog-eared and I've taped torn pages, she will pull all the other books off the shelf to get to it. It isn't even necessary for me to read it to her for her to want to flip through it. She loves it! I've just ordered 4 more of Barney Saltzberg's books on here, to give Peekaboo Kisses a much-needed break.

We were given this book when I had my first child. He LOVED it. He would kiss all the animals over and over, opening each flap to do so. Pretty soon he was doing this all on his own! It was adorable. Now my daughter LOVES it too. She also will sit on the floor and open each flap to give each animal a kiss. We have read this so much it is held together with a lot of tape. Highly recommend to anyone with small children or even as a great baby shower gift. How can you go wrong with a book about kisses!

My 13 month old LOVES this book. I can't even say the word "peekaboo" unless I am planning to read her this book because she gets so excited just mentioning it.

My son is 10 months and we started reading him Peek-a-boo kisses (and other books) around 2 months. This was the first book he went and opened himself and brought to me to read. Now he grabs for it every day. He loves to flip through all the pages back and forth, over and over. He strokes all the animals in turn. The book is holding up well, no tears yet and he gets pretty rough. My only complaint is the mirror on the last page could be of better quality.

Trisha Howell's children's books are always layered, with the sweetest stuff underneath the froth on top. Kids will love the "princess" and identify with her rebellion against changes outside her control ... doesn't that happen to every kid? And the sweet, humorous resolution will bring a smile to the face of every reader. Highly recommended.

My kids love this book!

This book is gorgeous! Trisha Howell did a wonderful job, writing a short meaningful children's story about 2 dogs that rings the importance of sharing and loving each other. All book lovers and parents: I highly recommend you get this book!

And by the way, the quality of this book is super. You should buy it just for the art!

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works

The Princess and the Pekinese was a delightful book. My children loved the surprise of who a main character actually was. They performed a magical puppet show based on the book. I know when a book touches my children because it brings out wonderful creativity in drawings or activities they do afterwards, and this book definitely did.

Princess Lillian is a regal little Yorkie who is at the center of her family's love and attention. Then they get a new puppy, and she cannot stand the attention he gets -- or gives her. So she runs away. By the time she returns, she has learned to appreciate the blessings she has.

This is such a beautiful book, from the story to the illustrations. If you have ever had two (or more) dogs, you appreciate the complex relations between them. They truly have their own personalities, and their own objectives. The relationship between Princess Lillian and the Pekinese rings true.

For anyone -- dog lovers or just lovers, of all ages -- this book will touch your heart. And when you read what inspired Trisha to write this story, it will move you.

This is a Trisha Howell classic. Like all of her books, it presents life in its whimsical and glowing aspects. I have enjoyed reading it to several children.

THis story is classic. I use this book so much that I have to retire my old copy and replace it with a new one every couple of years. It is a fabulous vehicle for storywriting in the primary classroom.

I have been reading Pat Hutchins books to children for many years. They are wonderful!! Rosie's Walk is a great book for sound effects! As Rosie goes obliviously on her walk,the fox encounters all sorts of sound effect producing trials. Great fun!

We have the board book edition, and I have to admit, I didn't think my 2-year old was going to like it when I first flipped through it. There didn't seem to be much to it --- no eye-catching illustrations and not much text. Shows how much I know... My daughter loves it. The story is less about Rosie the hen and more about the fox --- what happens to it from page to page. It is truly a sequential story and shows cause-and-effect: on one page you see the fox leaping towards Rosie, who is walking past the pond. On the next page, you see the fox in the pond. Your toddler will make the connection on her own: "Uh-oh. Fox fall in water."

My absolute FAVORITE book as a child! Simple, clever, and humorous all at the same time. GREAT for children starting to read! A+

We fell for this after watching the scholastic dvd series. It's on the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom video and we're hooked - love the detailed pictures and watching where thefox is headed.

The book Sammy Keys and the Psycho Kitty Queen written by Wendelin Van Drannen is an exciting adventure! I would give this book 5 stars because it was a page turner and there were exciting events in every chapter. I just couldn't put this book down.
Join Sammy on a quest to find a mischievous cat killer. On the way she is chased down an alley by a man with a butcher knife and gets hosed down by a psycho kitty queen. If that isn't enough her archenemy Heather Ascota has the same birthday as her! Heather's brother gives Sammy a lucky horseshoe and Heather will do anything to get it back- even fight Sammy for it.
If you're looking for a story filled with adventure, laughs, and a psycho kitty queen, this is the book to pick!

Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen was written by Wendlin Van Draanen. It all started when Sammy found a dead cat in the dumpster. She thought a lot about the cats after she found another one in the garbage. After her own cat went missing, Sammy had to see what was going on.
This book was exciting and suspenseful because of all the action. I liked the ending because the problem was solved. Sometimes I find myself a lot like Sammy and I can picture myself as her in the book. The main problem was very unique, weird, and interesting because the author used dead cats. The characters seemed very real to me because the whole book was realistic fiction.
Wendling Van Draanen uses a deep voice throughout the book. Very few of the words she used were unknown to me. It was interesting that every time I came to an unusual word she described it. Unlike other authors, Wendling ended every chapter in a suspenseful way. I think she has a lot of creativity to come up with this great book.
Out of all the books I've read, this one is one of my favorites. I liked it because between the rising action there are many problems. Every time Sammy solved a problem, I thought the book was going to be over. I recommend this book because it's suspenseful, thrilling, and funny.
Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen might be a little weird at the beginning. You'll want to stop reading because a couple of cats died and there's a weird wrestler that doesn't take off his cat suit. There's a reason to all that, and you need to find out.

The book Sammy Keys and the Psycho Kitty Queen written by Wendelin Van Drannen is an exciting adventure! I would give this book 5 stars because it was a page turner and there were exciting events in every chapter. I just couldn't put this book down.
Join Sammy on a quest to find a mischievous cat killer. On the way she is chased down an alley by a man with a butcher knife and gets hosed down by a psycho kitty queen. If that isn't enough her archenemy Heather Ascota has the same birthday as her! Heather's brother gives Sammy a lucky horseshoe and Heather will do anything to get it back- even fight Sammy for it.
If you're looking for a story filled with adventure, laughs, and a psycho kitty queen, this is the book to pick!

This book is written very well and the end is, as always pretty surprising. Now to the story...Sammy's life is a disaster: She lives in her Grams' apartment which is only for seniors, so she always has to sneak up the fire escape. Her mom left her for a career in Hollywood and then suddenly she shows up on Sammy's birthday. She came to tell Sammy that she isn't turning fourteen, she's turning 13 because her mom had made a fake birth certificate. Sammy is really upset but then she and her friend Holly find dead cats all over town in garbage cans and they start solving the mystery. At a new wrestling school, Slammin' Dave's,(where Sammy also learns some nice wrestling moves) there's a wrestler, El Gato who looks very scary since he always has a cat mask and costume on and never takes it off, so Sammy and Holly become very suspicious. In the end El Gato turns out to be someone totally different than they would have thougt. How they solve the mystery and find out who the cat killer was, will grab you and make you want to keep reading and reading. I really enjoyed the book and read it in only two days and I recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries. The characters are described good and likable except for Heather and her friends,Sammy enemies. The book is also a real page-turner and i would recommend the other Sammy Keyes books as well. I hope this review helped and that you enjoy the book as much as I did.

sammy keys and the psycho kitty queen was one of the best books I have ever read. If you haven't read it READ IT! I have read it over and over again and each time it gets better. Other sammy keys books are good but this one is the best. I cannot wait for the next book to come out.

This book is so amazing! Sometimes I read it to my 3-year-old son just so that I can be reminded of its message...He loves it, too, of course. This is one of his favorite books. The illustrations are fabulous and the writing is top-notch. I think everyone should read this book. It's definitely one of those books that's suitable for ALL audiences.

I'm an atheist, but the "God" part of this doesn't bother me enough to make me feel it deserves to lose a star. It's still a very good story about not being self-absorbed, and not having to be outwardly perfect. (I'm a Sidney. Sometimes we need to know we're OK, too, even if we're rumpled and running late.)

This ended up on my wish list after reading "Me, Myself, and Bob" and my mother sent it to me as a gift. I received it this week and I'm using it for my sermon tomorrow!

A great message for everyone couched in a simple children's tale - fantastic for Sunday morning use and perfect for every day!

May you always remember that God loves you!

I was babysitting my 3-year-old cousin when he brought this book for me to read to him. upon looking at it, I thought it was, well, a story about a two pigs named Norman and Sidney. As I was reading it, the word "God" appeared. So, to myself, I was like "I guess this is going to be a religious book" and kept reading. What I read was not a book teaching God's ways, but a book acting as a reminder that you are loved no matter what.
The story was about two pigs named Norman and Sidney who were neighbors, but had never met. They were complete opposites. Norman was the "good" pig who had the straightest tie of the crowd and arrived early to everything. Sidney was the "bad" pig who was always ten minutes late and always had toothpaste on his tie. They both recieve a letter from God asking to meet with him. God tells them both that he loves them equally, no matter who they are or how they live their life. Norman learns that he has nobody to impress because he's loved just as much as the next pig. Sidney is surprised that someone could love such a failure, but learns that God will always love him no matter what.
It is such a wonderful book with such a great message. I am not a very religious person and do not have a specific religious affiliation, but I strongly believe that it is so, so important to know that you are loved by someone. This book is beautiful and I want a copy for myself because everyone needs to know that they're beautiful when they are not feeling so good.
I recommend it for everyone of all ages, girl or boy. :)

This is a beautiful message for everyone about God's grace that adults and kids need to hear. God's love for us has nothing to do with how good we are or how hard we try. He just loves us. Isn't that great?!?!?!

We have been reading good night moon to our daughter since she was born till about 11 months. Our baby sitter gave us this book as a gift and our daughter loves it. For a few weeks we gave her the choice of which book she wanted us to read at night and every time she picked the wombat book.

Enough said. She giggles whenever we read it.

We received this book as a gift from family in Australia. From the first reading our son (16 months) LOVES this book. The little wombat goes through small little adventures explaining why he likes to certain things, like jumping as he can "to see how much noise he can make when he lands." Our son's favorite part is when little wombat sticks out his tongue and makes funny faces, he then also pokes out his tongue (very cute!) The book is brightly illustrated with easily recognizable Australian animals and supported with short uncomplicated text, which is the perfect length for our impatient listener ;). We believe that this book is a MUST HAVE for all little libraries

This is quite a wonderful book for little ones. My grandchild just LOVES it - it's one of her favorite stories.

You should read "Sometimes I like to curl up in a ball." It's so funny. It's about a cute little wombat and his feelings. The pictures are really amazing. I think your kids would like it. I think you should read it anytime you get the chance! I am 7 years old and I really like this book for bedtime. It helps me get to sleep. Take my advice and buy this book!

I got this book for my son 2 years ago and since then this book is read every night before bed. My son LOVES the part with the silly faces and the mud the character plays with. I often buy this book for friends when they have a child and it is a quick favorite for everyone I have given it to.

Dr Seuss comes through again. Fun to read, good morals, excellent story.
Lots of fun!!

This is my favorite Dr Seuss book (even though I discovered it only a few months ago). The story and pictures are excellent and (importantly) it is particularly easy and fun to read aloud.

Unfortunately, this book is advertised as being suitable for 5-8 year olds only - NOT TRUE! This book is for ANYONE of ANY AGE who enjoys stories.

This book is so appropriate today, maybe more than when it was written in 1948 (a response to the New Deal, perhaps?)! I'm sure I appreciate the message (beware of freeloaders!!) more than my kids, but they enjoy the story and the pictures (as always) are priceless. Dr. Seuss was a national treasure and his books are all terrific.

This book should be in every child's library (and most adults as well). This is the starter book for Orwell's Animal Farm.

I first read this book when I was a little girl. I was really impressed with it then, of all the Dr. Seuss books I thought it was the best because of the message. The poor moose is so soft-hearted, he lets everyone take advantage of him. It has a wonderful message for children to learn about "users". If you only read one Dr. Seuss book to your children, read them this one.

Jane Goodall needs no introduction, she cares for nature, earth and all the creatures on it. Some critize her seemingly unorthodox methods and her supposed "cult of personality." However, reading this book made me fascinated by our closest living relatives and how they are really so similiar to ourselves. It made me remember that we too are animals, but we are intelligent and the dominaters of the earth. But with that role, we have to protect the voiceless. Both scientific and thoughtful, the narrative of this book is good for any science class, home library or bedside stand. The most interesting parts for me were the chapters about alpha-male battles, the emotions of chimpanzees and the conclusion which discusses how we must be stewards of the earth.

I am going to read the rest of this amazing woman's books.

Jane is amazing!

*****/***** for Through a Window

To anyone old enough to remember the first field reports from a brash girl named Jane, who chose to live alone with a troop of chimps in Tanzania, way back in the 60s, it has to be a little boggling to realize that she has kept at it for 47 years (as of this writing). Oh, sure, we've seen the TV specials and the magazine stories, and some of us may have read her account of the first decade, IN THE SHADOW OF MAN. But, we do have our lives to attend to, and Goodall's ongoing work easily fades into the background noise. In our long struggle to understand the locus of humanity in nature, there is surely no work more crucial than this. Goodall's discoveries about our closest genetic cousins have uncontestably shown us our place. We are not much different than chimps, merely more so. A young woman, too naive in the ways of science to "know" that animals don't have personalities, saw them clearly. Her honest reporting, championed by her mentor Louis Leakey, overturned a system that harkened back to Descartes (who, we must remember, kicked his dogs often to demonstrate that their mechanical reaction bore no likeness to human pain). After Goodall, animals are "its" no more, they are "whos." THROUGH A WINDOW, is the story of the evolution of one girl's dream into a research center, with dozens of assistants, who have tracked and documented a chimpanzee society through the years. It is the report of political change, as different chimp leaders come to prominence, of family loyalty and discord, and of the look in chimpanzee eyes searching our own for ... understanding? It is equally a reminder that her happiest times remain the hours she steals to spend a day alone with the friends she knows so well: the aging matriarch who was a chimp babe in arms in 1960, and her grandson now moving toward dominance of the troop; older siblings teaching youngsters to fashion tools to 'fish' for termites; the deposed leader racked out in a leafy hammock - remembering his glory days? Coupled with work done by others, partly inspired by Goodall - such as the teaching of American Sign Language to captive chimps, who in turn, TEACH THEIR OWN CHILDREN TO SIGN, manipulating their babies hands into words while pointing at objects - the idea that anyone presumes to defend vivisecting these fellow earthlings is incomprehensible. There is far more going on in chimpanzee heads than was, for instance, in the severely mentally handicapped humans I houseparented years ago. Our staff spent years trying to teach some of our clients a single hand sign, and when they did occasionally manage it, it was seldom clear if there was understanding attached. Chimps create their own sentences, even invent combinations to describe novel experiences. Yet no one (these days, at least) suggests it is ethical to give AIDs to developmentally disabled children to see what happens, or to lock them in isolation chambers where they slowly go mad. It is no wonder that Goodall's work in the late 90s began to focus more and more on ending all captive experiments on the creatures she knows so well. (See my review of her later work, BRUTAL KINSHIP, Aperture Foundation, 199, which focuses on that effort.) THROUGH A WINDOW is an inspiring look at the joy, satisfaction, heartbreak and struggle of one scientist who has changed our world.

Ever since reading Jane Goodall's book "Reason For Hope" (which is another highly-recommended one on my list), I have called her "Our Lady of Hope"; she truly has paved the way for a brighter future in her study of the animals and plants. And with her optimism and positive outlook, how could I not be floored by her work?

This book takes you on an emotional roller-coaster; tenderness (Flo's natural mothering instincts and her care for her children and her daughter, Fifi, imitating her mother), sadness (Flo's death and her son, Flint, pining away before dying; the short, tragic life of the unfortunate, long-suffering Gilka), horror (Passion and Pom savagely killing and eating their own community's newborns; the brutal warfare in the mid-70s), and amazement (at how very much like humans that animals are).

This book is simply a gem. And the images are marvelous: sometimes grim, sometimes tender, but seldom dull.

When I picked up this book it was because I randomly chose it from a pile of recommendations a friend gave me. I had no desire to read it, and the only reason I actually went through with it was that a) I would have to give the book back someday and b) she always recommends good-to-decent books. And despite the obvious reputation that Goodall has, I still had no desire to read it. Having recently picked up (and put down) Rachel Carson's The Edge of the Sea, I was in no mind to read another nature-based book. That gives you a good indication of my mindset going into this.

I'm glad I was wrong. I enjoyed this book much more than I would have imagined - it's a fascinating read. I say that having had virtually no prior interest in chimpanzee's nor Jane Goodall. I doubt I would have read this book on my own, since there are a million books begging to be read every time I open my eyes. Sometimes you need to go where you don't necessarily want in order to find a jewel.

The title of this book refers to the window that Goodall gets when she observes the chimps over the years. Through this window she gets an idea of how we, humans, have evolved from where we were to where we are. It gives her a glimpse of the similarities - sometimes uncanny - between chimps and humans. This window often leads to observations you can never expect. Goodall's observations and her way with words fully draw you into the narrative.

Goodall writes anecdotally, attempting to illustrate her point with examples of behavior she observes in the field. These instances make the book much easier to read than a pure scientific approach. Through the text you grow to like (and dislike) some of the chimps in the narrative, as well as easily finding yourself drawn into the various elements of (nearly human) chimp behavior.

The thing I find most surprising is that the stories which transpire between the "actors" are just as dramatic as a work of fiction. They say that fact is stranger than fiction. I don't know if I agree, but it can undoubtedly be interesting. It's certainly a surprise how similar the chimps are to us - or maybe it's not, which I guess is one of the points of the book.

If I have to take on the other POV, which I usually force myself to do in an effort to be fair, I suppose I have to say that despite all she has seen, she does at times force the issue that chimps are better than people. One thing I worried about was that Goodall would constantly laud how amazing the animals are and how we humans could learn from them. For the most part, she doesn't do this. From time to time she seems to be on the verge, but she balances it out with fair observations on both sides of the fence.

In all, it is a riveting book that is well-balanced and, to be sure, well researched. Goodall's years of experience no doubt come through with this book, and her ease behind the keyboard is surprising. I did not find this clunky in the normal vein of science texts at all. In fact, it was a smooth read, almost to a word. Granted, it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the subject matter discussed in Through A Window is sure to entertain most people who pick it up. Excellent book and highly recommended.

Jane Goodall's contributions to our knowledge of chimpanzees has been remarkable. Because she first arrived in Africa completely untrained as an observer of animal behavior, she was able to bring a humanist's instincts to her work; her natural ability to see details and connections, as well as her affection for her subjects, culminated in published results that rocked the scientific community. THROUGH A WINDOW picks up her observations where IN THE SHADOW OF MAN left off. Here, she follows the lives mostly of the children of the original group. She has organized her chapters by theme: Mothers and Daughters, Sons and Mothers, War, Power, Love, and more. Within these chapters, she explores the specific lives of the Gombe chimps and their relationships with their relatives and group members. By tackling specific topics of behavior, she is able to fully integrate the range of her experiences, from first observations to those made thirty years later. As Goodall is quick to point out, what she assumed at first did not necessarily prove to hold fast over time.

No less fascinating than IN THE SHADOW OF MAN, this book is extraordinary for its insight into chimpanzee personalities, relationships, and culture. If you have never before read Goodall's books, you will be surprised by the strong echoes of human behavior in these wild and highly individual chimpanzees. Goodall has made enormous contributions to our understanding of non-human primates, and should be widely read.

If there is a horse crazy youngster in your life, this book will enthrall them for hours. It is the true story of Vivi Malloy, who was shadowed by photographer Jill Krementz, and her show pony Penny. Vivi cares for her own pony at home, so readers get to see what goes into caring for a pony and learning to ride at a show level. When Vivi goes to a show, the reader is there, from the schooling ring to the awarding of ribbons. Vivi also outgrows Penny during this book, and has to move on to a larger pony and say goodbye to Penny. Many people in the horse show world read this book over and over when they were growing up (I was one of them!) and have now passed it on to their own children.

I read this book as a child so often that my copy fell apart. It was out of print for a while, but now it's back and it's wonderful! There is an update on the family and the horses. If you have a child or were a child that loves horses, you must have this book!

As a little girl growing up, I lived my life through the pages of this book and wished that I was as lucky as young Vivi Malloy. I would check this book out of the library as much as I could because it was the closest that I got to owning a horse (until my dream came true when I was 13). Despite being out of print, I was so happy when I found a copy of this book on eBay. For those who are still searching for this book, have no worry because it is finally back in print with an update on Vivi, Penny, and a few other people that are mentioned. George Morris lends a hand by writing a foreword to the newest edition. One statement he makes is so true when it comes to today's horse owners: "We also see Vivi grooming and exercising her pony Ready Penny, mucking out Penny's stall, and observing and learning from the pony's veterinarian and farrier. Such hands-on participation was all part of a rider's life in those days (but unfortunately less so today), and this book reminds us that it takes more than winning blue ribbons to become a complete horseman or horsewoman."

Never owned a horse, but got very intersted in horses in my early 20's and read TONS of books. 'A Very Young Rider' was one of my favorites. I own the book and several of the other 'very young' ones. Am amazed these books are out of print! :( Got curious reading these reviews about what happend to Vivi and did an internet search. Here is a wonderful story:
http://www.soresishowstables.com/press/ChronicleOfTheHorse-19May05.pdf

I am 38 years old and got this book for Christmas at about 10 years old. I, too, had a pony that I showed and loved dearly. I even started to wear my long, blonde hair in braids with lucky polkadot ribbons when I showed English. I ran home from school every day, waiting to get close enough to hear her whinny for me...I cried along with Vivi as I outgrew my precious pony, Boots, and moved on to a bigger horse. It still brings bittersweet tears to my eyes when I thumb through it! My dust cover is torn and worn and I was looking for a replacement book when I came upon this thread. This book, and all in the series, were wonderful stories of real-life people with real stories and experiences. With so much garbage thrown at our kids these days, it would be a shame to see this series disappear.