Brown Sunshine Of Sawdust Valley (1998) - Plot & Excerpts
From the author of Justin Morgan Had a Horse and King of the Wind comes this charming story of a young girl, her mare, and the mare’s colt.The Story.Molly has wanted a horse for as long as she could remember. It hurts her whenever she sees other children riding around on horses, large as life, but she knows better than to pester her parents about it – they have a hard enough time “making ends meet” as it is, and she knows they want her to be happy.But then for her tenth birthday, Molly’s father announces that they are going to buy a horse! Molly is ecstatic – she knows they don’t have the money to buy a superior colt, but she still hopes they can purchase a pretty little thing! And then the auction starts, and for every beautiful little colt, the bid goes up higher than the seventy dollars Molly’s father can spend. Every horse except the last one – a run down mare. Molly is embarrassed when her father purchases the horse, “Lady Sue” – she isn’t anything like the sleek young colt Molly’s always imagined.Can Molly reconcile herself to Lady Sue, and learn to delight in her?Discussion.The answer is – of course! Once Molly’s father gets Lady Sue home and spruces her up, she turns out to be a wonderful horse. Molly comes to be very fond of her, even before they discover Lady Sue’s secret.The secret arrives one day in the form of Brown Sunshine – a baby mule! Molly instantly falls in love with the little mule and it isn’t long before he redeems the name of “mule” to all of the children who wanted to pick at his ignoble ancestry.The best part for me, though, was yet to come. Molly, a resident of Tennessee, begins to research the Mule Day that occurs in Columbia, Tennessee every year and by the end of the book, both she and Brown Sunshine have participated in the procession! Now, I go to Columbia just about every week, and although we were unable to attend, a friend actually invited us to Mule Day this last year! It’s really funny having points of “Tennessee pride” show up in books. ;)Molly and her parents have great relationships, and they all work together to make first Lady Sue, then Brown Sunshine a success.Also, in the first chapter, Molly mentions that she reads lots of horse stories “even though they’re mostly about horse-sick kids who always get a horse at the end of the story.” [pg. 3] Which is what I always say about horse stories…Conclusion. Like I’ve said before, Marguerite Henry’s ‘horse stories’ stand head and shoulders above any other books in the genre.Visit The Blithering Bookster to read more reviews!www.blitheringbookster.com
Molly wants badly to have a fancy show horse that will rival any owned by snobbish Freddy Westover. At the horse auction, however, Molly and her father must settle for a seemingly frail mare named Lady Sue. Molly grows to love Lady Sue as she slowly regains her health. Imagine Molly’s surprise when Lady Sue gives birth to a baby mule! Molly takes an active part in rearing and training of this mule, whom she named Brown Sunshine, and is motivated to learn all she can about mules. Brown Sunshine’s training pays off two years later, when he is crowned King Mule at the annual Mule Day parade.tCheerful and pleasant page turner from the author of, among other things, Misty of Chincoteague. The gentile pencil drawings add to the appeal for horse lovers, especially ones who are fans of the Saddle Club paperback series. Good choice for 4-5th grade.
What do You think about Brown Sunshine Of Sawdust Valley (1998)?
This book seemed for a younger audience than Henry's other books. It is also about a mule.This is a short book but very readable for younger girls especially. It is a bit shallower in character development. The characters are more stereotyped.The little mule is fun. Mules suffer undeservedly from bad press. Interestingly the book does mention that, although all are called mules and people often think all mules are the same, there are many kinds of mules developed for many different tasks. Gaited, jumping, riding mules and draft mules are only a few.Marguerite Henry seems always a good read for those who love equines. This book is no exception.
—Karen GoatKeeper
This is a nice, sweet horse story that the expert on such literary matters of an equine nature wrote near the end of her great career. Marguerite Henry knew and loved horses, for sure, and that admiration and affection leaked forth from every part of the horse stories that she wrote. This short tale is worth the read, and people who have liked Marguerite Henry's compelling books in the past (I am included in that group) will enjoy this warm new adventure of a girl who wanted a horse and was instead given a mule.
—Josiah
Molly wants to ride. She wants it so desperately she is even willing to put up with that overbearing Freddy-from-next-door in order to win a couple minutes a day on an ancient mare.Then Molly’s dream day arrives! Her father takes her to a horse auction, with seventy dollars in his pocket so that Molly can have a horse of her very own. She doesn’t even require a horse. A mule would do as well, as long as the creature is young! But as each colt and filly steps onto the auction block, her father’s seventy dollars are outbid. As the other bidders drift away, with only one questionable mare left for purchase, Molly wonders if her dream will ever come true.A sweet beginning reader from one of the greatest authors of horse stories ever. Great for kids ages 7-9, though I am proof that the book is enjoyable for the young-at-heart as well.
—Anne Osterlund
