'Horse People, Scenes From The Riding Life'

Michael Korda is an editor and a fine writer/author. This passage is from his book, Horse People, Scenes From a Riding Life (a New York Times notable book).

"Lord Melbourne's favorite piece of advice that 'the best thing for the inside of a man is the outside of a horse,' remains more in the spirit of my own view - the horse offers us healthy exercise, communication of a kind with a different species, and a vigorous pursuit of the outdoor life. That's not to say that I don't think people have something to learn from animals in general, horses includes, though it seems to me that it may have been best summed up by Walt Whitman:

"I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain'd,
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth."

(By the way, Korda's illustratations are quite humorous and add to the appeal of the book. The black-and-white photos are a plus.)

Childrens' Book Fair At UConn

Connecticut Children's Book Fair is Saturday, Nov. 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Rome Commons Ballroom, Rome Hall, South Campus Complex University of Connecticut, Storrs.

Meet many well-known children's authors and illustrators, including Tedd Arnold, Holly Black, P.W. Catanese, Katie Davis, Diane deGroat, Gail Gauthier, Rudy Gutierrez, Janet Lawler, Lois Lowry, Wendell and Florence Minor, Leslea Newman, Anitia Riggio, Pegi Deitz Shea, Marc Tyler Nobleman, Mark Teague, Nancy Elizabeth Wallace, and Hans Wilhelm.

Storybook characters include visits with Clifford the Big Red Dog, Maisy, Chet Gecko, and Stella Luna. Enjoy sing-a-longs, crafts and stories out loud.

Admission is free. For more information visit the UConn Co-op web site or call (860) 486-5027.

Note: Since the book fair is a fundraiser for the Northeast Children's Literature Collection, no books from home.

Proceeds from sales at the event are used for the growth of the Northeast Children's Literature Collection in the Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Libraries.