Product Description

The storytelling magic of James Herriot has become a warm, joyful part of our children's lives. Bonny's Big Day is the endearing tale of Farmer Skipton and his beloved cart horse Bonny, who one day comes out of "retirement" for a very special day on the town.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #500248 in Books
• Published on: 1991-08-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Amazon.com Review
What would inspire ornery old farmer John Skipton to enter his 20-year-old workhorse in a pet show? Why, love, of course. Mr. Skipton has worked hard all his life, so hard in fact that he never had time for marriage, children, or "pets." He was always too busy tending the sheep and the cows or harvesting the fields and orchards. However, as old and gruff as he appears to be, he takes time every day to take a pitchfork full of fresh hay to his two old carthorses, Bonny and Dolly, who've been retired for more than 12 years. After years of pulling ploughs and wagons, and doing all the hard work that tractors do now, the two old horses lead a life of leisure down near the river, quite a steep climb for an old man like Skipton. When the country vet suggests the farmer enter Bonny in the Darrowby Fair Pet Show, Skipton dismisses the idea without consideration. But over the course of the next week, the old fellow changes his mind and makes a surprise appearance at the pet show. The lovely illustrations depicting the rugged beauty of the Yorkshire dales, the handsome horses, and the lively inhabitants of the community attending the fair bring an old-fashioned beauty to the telling of this charming tale. --Colleen Preston

From Publishers Weekly
Old John Skipton tends his two aging cart horses well, even though they've been replaced by a tractor. He shows up at the Darrowby Fair with his grey horse, Bonny, as an entry in the Family Pets Class of showings. Both John and Bonny are dressed up and polished for the occasion, standing in line with other unusual pets and their owners: a pink piglet, a turtle, a nanny goat and a hooded falcon. But the winner is John's Bonny. Herriot, the all-seeing veterinarian, inspires his simple message of sensitivity and compassion by showing how much his characters love and care for their animals. The dimensions of thoughtful humor are as evident in this story as in all his writings. Brown's accompanying paintings add a necessary context, depicting, for example, the piglet's owner as a farm boy, the rabbit's as a sweet-faced little girl and the falcon's as a stately country gentleman. BOMC selection. All ages.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4 Herriot relies on a personal experience to create an endearing human interest story. This story centers on a gruff old farmer and his two retired carthorses who, for the past 12 years, have provided their owner with companionship. After seeing the farmer care for his horses, Herriot encourages him to enter one of the mares (the other is nursing a sore leg) in the family pet class of a local animal show. The farmer spruces up both himself and the horse for the big show and walks away with top honors. Readers, old and young alike, are bound to be moved by this simple tale, as Herriot again shows the deep feelings that can be experienced between human beings and animals. Brown's soft, exquisite paintings nicely capture the mood of the characters and the picturesque English countryside. A lovely book that adults will enjoy sharing with and distributing to children. Tom S. Hurlburt, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Bonny's Big Day
This is an absolutely delightful story. One of the authors best. This book is truly appropriate for all ages. Really little ones will love the pictures and older children will warm to the story. Any adult will enjoy reading this to the kids over and over.

Touching Story about the love of our pets - big or small
My daughter brought this book home from her school library - We read it together. Christmas time I always purchase a "favorite" book for her & her brother - this one will fits the bill nicely!!

LITTLE BOOK WITH A BIG STORY
Bonny's Big Day by James Herriot is a take off from one of the marvelous stories that Herriot records in one of his collections of "big people books" and happens to be one of my favorite. This is actually the story of John Skipton and one of his two old work horses and the relationship and love between man and horse. Each, John and the horse Bonny are long retired after a long life of constant toil making a living on an English farm long before they, the farms became mechanized.

Briefly, at Herriot's prompting and encouragement, the old farmer enters his beloved horse Bonnie in a local, and for the area, traditional pet show.

James Herriot is a master story teller and I must confess, one of my all time favorite authors. I have read all of his books many times over and enjoy each reading more than the previous. I will, about every other year, give each of them a rereading. With this series of children's books, the stories that Herriot wrote are incorporated with the art work of Ruth Brown, an illustrator of no mean talent. She has captured rural England of that era perfectly and her soft flowing colors and style add perfectly to Herriot's words.

The nice thing about this book, and the others of the series, is that the young reader is exposed to some very good writing, good art work, history, the idea of compassion, and an era long gone by that we will never see again. I guess I am trying to say that these books are not only readable and enjoyable, but that the kids actually get something out of them and the adult certainly gets their monies worth.

This book belongs in any children's library and as a matter of fact, is quite enjoyable for the adult reader also. I do highly recommend it. These books make a great read for a group and I use them all of the time as such.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks