The Riding Lesson
by Jennifer K. Mann; illus. by the author
Primary    Candlewick    56 pp.
6/25    9781536235265    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781536249170    $18.99

Frances describes her first riding lesson at her friend Mae’s horse farm where Mae takes the lead in outfitting Frances in boots and a helmet and showing her how to groom and tack. However, Frances’s anticipation (she had imagined riding her dashing toy horse Excalibur) does not match reality: the barn is smelly; Mae’s mother is shoveling horse poop; Frances’s mount is a rotund pony named Snowball; and, most confidence-shaking of all, Snowball steps on her foot at the mounting block. Frances’s toes are luckily saved by her borrowed boots, and Mae kindly redirects the lesson to a demonstration and then a low-key trail ride through the orchard with Frances riding double behind her. Confidence restored, Frances tries going solo back in the ring and even helps shovel poop. This substantial picture book augments traditional first-person narration with cartoon panels and speech balloons, the emotional thrust ably advanced by Mann’s (The Camping Trip, rev. 5/20) evocative illustrations, reminiscent of crayon drawings. Frances’s discomfort is humorously expressed through her saucer-like eyes (Mae’s mother: “Let me make sure that the girth is tight enough—you don’t want to fall off in your first lesson.” Frances, in thought bubble to readers: “Fall off?”), and her experience will ring true not just with equestrians but also with any child who’s ever ventured out of their comfort zone and ridden bravely on.

From the July/August 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.