"Who wants a ride," asks Mr. Horse. Upon his back jump a black and white cat, a yellow dog, a little pink pig, and a white goose. Clippity-clop, off they go. "Can you go a little faster, Mr. Horse?" they beg. "Hold on tight!" he tells them. They go faster and faster, but they don't hold on tight. "Whoa! Stop! We're falling off!" they cry. When Mr. Horse skids to a halt, the animals fly through the air with a "Plop! Plop! Ploppity-plop!" and land in a haystack. "Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dearie me!" says the frantic horse. Are they hurt? Not a bit. "Again!" they cry, and off they go again for another ride, clippity-clop.
A story for the youngest listeners, the simple text with marvelous repeated noises and refrains will be great fun to read while bouncing a little one on your knee. The generously sized pages and joyous pictures look like they were done in watercolor outlined with black magic marker against a white background.
THEMES: ANIMALS. CATS. DOGS.
- With its simplicity of plot and design, lovable characters, repetitive sound effects, and captivating color illustrations, this laugh-out-loud picture book is first-rate.
- School Library Journal