“Steve is a fine horse,� begins Kelly Collier's picture book. “But he thinks he could be finer. He wants to be EXCEPTIONAL.� When Steve finds a beautiful gold horn lying on the ground in the forest, he realizes he has found his path to the exceptional! He immediately ties the horn to the top of his head and prances off to show his friends. Not everyone is impressed, but most of his friends agree --- Steve and his horn are indeed exceptional. In fact, many of his friends are so inspired, they decide to tie items to the tops of their heads as well. So when Steve discovers his horn has suddenly gone missing, he's devastated and frantically searches everywhere to find it. He won't be exceptional without his horn! Or will he?
Why I chose to read this book: I was substitute teaching a Grade 3 class for a close friend and colleague who asked me to read this story aloud to her students since she has a deep personal connection to this book.
Praises: The Grade 3 students loved this story, hands down! Their thoughts include: - "I liked how Steve was sad at the beginning but was happy being himself at the end!" - "It's a funny story with funny illustrations." - "I liked how the other animals liked his look and copied him." - "Steve learned that nobody's perfect."
Overall Personal Thoughts: An amusing story with a sweet lesson about appreciating your true self!
Recommendation? Looking for a picture book with a lesson about self-worth? Check this one out! I loved it, and most importantly, the students loved it, too!
Kids will love "riding" along as Steve goes from regular to exceptional to epiphany. Ribbon, schmibbon! Steve just needs to be Steve. There some fabulous vocabulary words and phrases incorporated into the narrative like "devastated" and "lo and behold." The asides throughout are laugh-out-loud funny at times. I am thrilled to see that there is a sequel: . Woot, woot! Stay tuned. . . I just put it on hold at the library.
Steve is a horse, though cannot find anything exceptional about himself. When he comes across a gold horn, he rushes to accentuate his uniqueness. This individuality soon loses its lustre, even though others try to copy what Steve has found. When Steve makes a discovery about himself, he learns the true meaning of being exceptional. Neo liked this one, but thought the horse was a little weird, particularly when he stopped wanting to be a regular horse.
RATING: 4 STARS 2017; Kids Can Press/Hachette Book Group (Review Not on Blog)
Steve is a horse and he wants to feel exceptional...when he finds a gold horn in the forest he is different and special. A fun story about being different and exceptional :) I enjoyed the illustration and story.
Steve the horse longs to be extraordinary in this entertaining picture-book from Canadian author/illustrator Kelly Collier, hitting upon the perfect strategy when he finds a golden horn lying on the ground. Securing the horn to his head (or so he thinks), he parades himself before his friends, never noticing when his new headpiece slides from his head, and ends up hanging around his neck. When he does discover that the horn is missing (or so he thinks), he is distraught - without the horn, how can he demonstrate to others how special he is?
Fortunately for our equine hero, his imitative friends provide the answer - soon Steve is the only animal around without something attached to head, making him stand out again! - and the book concludes happily. A sweet and slightly quirky book, Steve the Horse is one of those comical titles whose humor isn't quite in sync with mine - humor is extremely idiosyncratic, I find, and my funny-bone can be hard to locate - but which nevertheless strikes me as entertaining. The artwork, done in ink and watercolor, and finished digitally, is likewise quirky and somewhat sweet. This appears to be Kelly Collier's debut, so although I wouldn't describe it as a favorite, of the recent picture-books I have read, I do think it deserves praise. Recommended to anyone looking for humorous picture-books, or children's stories addressing the theme of wanting to be unique and special.
Steve is a horse. He’s a horse who isn’t satisfied with fine or ordinary. Steve wants to be EXCEPTIONAL. And when he finds a golden horn, he thinks that may be his ticket to moving up. Or just maybe Steve’s gold horn will inadvertently help him and the other animals to learn a lesson on self-worth and their own foolish tendencies through Steve’s antics.
Wowsers, Steve sure is one special horse. His antics will for sure have kids laughing (even quite grown kids). Collier’s word choice and illustrations help make sure of that. As I was reading this to myself it struck me that this would make a great read aloud, especially for someone practicing doing different voices while reading aloud. Steve just begs for a certain type of voice to fit his looks, and he’s got some great lines. A few other animals get equally great lines, and the narrator jumps in every now and then too. So pick this one for practicing reading aloud with different voices. The other thing that struck me while reading this was that it is a subtle social commentary along the lines of Dr. Seuss’s Sneetches. Because even though the animals scoff at Steve, you notice in the illustrations they all start tying other things to their heads to be more exceptional. We may not tie a gold horn to our head to be cool, but I bet we all have something we’re doing to improve our social status. See if kids can identify ways they try to one up each other to be special (my first thought was technology, but it can be clothes and numerous other things). This can lead into a great discussion of what really makes people special, and a self-check evaluation of our materialistic tendencies (I say our because even adults need this self-check from time to time). It’s a good time to re-evaluate if we really need to do that thing, why we’re doing that, and what really gives us value. Thanks for making us laugh while we think, Steve (and Kelly). Definitely ordering this for our elementary library.
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I took one look at Steve and fell in love with him. He is just adorable, but poor Steve has a huge inferiority complex. He knows deep down inside of him that he is a fine specimen but oh how he longs to be EXCEPTIONAL! He feels however that that could never happen for mediocre, ordinary, average... him.
Then one day while walking through the forest he stumbles across a beautiful gold horn just lying on the ground. Steve takes one look at this bright shiny object and sees it as his ticket to AWESOME! He scoops up his now golden crown and ties it on his head and gallops off at full speed to show his friends how AMAZING he is now.
His friends have to admit he looks mighty fine and they in copycat fashion try Steve's fashion savvy on top of their heads. Now everyone is EXTRAORDINARY! Such a fine group cannot be found anywhere.
Things spiral downhill in the ego department when Steve notices his splendid horn has vanished....poof!!... just disappeared. Oh my goodness gracious noooooooo! He looks high and low, up and down - everywhere - but to no avail. Steve has lost his new-found EXCEPTIONALITY but the good news is that in trying to rediscover it he actually discovers the truth - his always-been-there, ORIGINALITY. It's that that makes him exceedingly SPECIAL and something he can accomplish all on his own and been there the whole time!
This charming tale about an egocentric, loveable horse is a perfect read aloud. Collier has managed to capture the humour and wit in both text and illustrations. The fun part is that the reader gets where the storyline is going while the main character is searching frantically for answers. It is the perfect book to begin discussions on self-esteem, originality and acceptance. I loved the book from start to finish and now I feel that I am truly an EXCEPTIONAL (and ORIGINAL ) blogger, no props needed. Thank you Kelly Collier for inspiring me to embrace just exactly who and what I am created to be.
Steve the horse decides to wear a golden horn on his head in an attempt to stand out. However, when all the other animals in the forest start wearing things on their head, he bucks the trend and stands out with his natural no-horn look.
A cute book with fun, quirky illustrations, this tells a much needed story about how you can be exceptional if you're just like everyone else, or if you're the different one.
I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Silly Steve! Horns don’t make you exceptional! Vain Steve ties a horn to his head in an effort to be exceptional, prompting all his forest friends to copy him, leading to....you got it, no one standing out. The illustrations are amusing. 3.5 stars.
In from , Kelly Colliertakes on confidence, bravado, hubris, and what it means or not to be exceptional in a wry way, both in her text and in her illustrations. Steve certainly thinks he is more than exceptional-- whether young readers agree would makea great conversation. When I'm back in school next fall I definitely plan on giving this one a try.
Steve is a fine horse, but one with aspirations of being more than fine. He longs to be an EXCEPTIONAL horse. Some horses wear ribbons, but Steve-the-fine-horse does not.
One day something special happens as he's walking through the forest. There, lying on the ground is a beautiful gold horn. Forget silly ribbons, this is something rare and special. Humorously, Steve manages to strap the horn to his head and prances off to show his friends what he has discovered.
Steve's self-confidence shines as he tells his friends how fancy and amazing he is. In fact, his attitude verges on over-the-top prideful and rude.
"... so I just saw it and thought, Steve, you could really DO something with this, and I'm so glad I did, because I'm an EXCEPTIONAL horse now. Bob, you should really find a horn, too. Because you're looking kind of ordinary . . . "
Copycat fashion, his friends end up with decorations on their head. But Bob notices something when he looks at Steve.
"But Steve," says Bob. "I don't see a beautiful GOLD HORN on your head. You are NOT EXCEPTIONAL!"
Steve is shocked. Where is his precious horn? (The horn has twisted down from his head to under his chin.) Steve searches high and low. What comes next?
"Whaaaaa."
Crying and thrashing on the ground. Steve is devastated. So much so that he heads to a pond for a drink. But what does he see in the pond but a reflection of the horn he is wearing. No good can come from Steve creeping deeper and deeper into the pond trying to find the beautiful horn. Splash! As Steve looks out from the middle of the pond he sees his friends all wearing things strapped to their head. At that time a new thought comes to him.
"All of you look exceptional," says Steve, "but I just realized that I look exceptionally different!"
His friends are impressed. They now claim that they love the natural look and that he's so stylish.
What Concerned Me:This is a book, like many, that is totally open to interpretation. While some may think this is promoting outward importance of beauty, I feel it almost ridicules it.
What I Liked Most:This is a wonderful book to draw out conversations about what makes a person exceptional. Are we all unique and exceptional in our own way? Does following the latest fad cause us to be extraordinary? Was Steve extraordinary as he was, without a gold horn? And this story even opens the door for discussions about how to treat friends.
I loved the simple artwork which was rendered in ink and watercolor, and finished in Photoshop.
I received an e-ARC from NetGalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for my honest review.
This was an exceptional book about a very clever horse named Steve.
Plot: Steve has always wanted to be exceptional. Tough words (like exceptional) are explained in short fun sidebars. One day Steve discovers a golden horn and straps it on on his head with string. He now feels like a special horse and begins sharing this with his friends. As people do, Steve's friends begin to find their own "exceptional" items to strap on their heads. We are talking about amazing things like pine cones and sticks. Steve has to figure out what it really means to be special (hint: it's not strapping a golden horn on your head).
Message: The world is a big place and kids (adults too) often feel that others don't recognize just how special we each are. In fact, we all spend a lot of effort trying to stand out from then"maddening crowd". Does this often mean copying the.latest trends? If you are a parent or teacher, you know this is true. Being unique and authentic is hard but Steve shows that it is "extra ordinary". This book delivers the message in a simple, straightforward way that kids will love.
Illustrations: Super charming illustrations that help flesh out the characters. I read this book aloud to my daughter and it was so fun. The pictures helped me realize how the characters should sound. They are simple drawings but convey so much personality. We fell in love.
Overall: This is a simple book with a big message.
This is a fun book! Normally I sit down to read the newest children's books I received from Netgalley to my children before bed, and usually I like most of them. We aren't picky here, just want a decent story with nice pictures. But this book. This book was awesome. I loved the horse Steve, and I loved the little bits of snark here and there. And the little added explanations to words! Even to my delight, "woot woot" was used in the story. I loved this book and actually could see myself buying this one for the bookshelf.
Much like Steve, this book is quite exceptional. The illustrations matched the characters perfectly and the story was as entertaining as it was informative.
For example, throughout the book there are some 'big' words and the way they were explained was so witty that you felt like you were a part of some inside joke with the author.
Perfect book for parent's to read out loud and I dare you not to be charmed by Steve and his journey of wanting to be exceptional only to realize that he was in ways that are entirely his own.
This lovely picture book explores what it means to be special --and to have friends-- when Steve the horse with dreams of exceptionalism finds a golden horn, he straps it on his head and declares himself exceptional. Unfortunately, it's hard to STAY exceptional! Of course, there's a moral to the story, which would be a great discussion starter with kids. Plus: most kids will learn a handful of cool new words! And there's also a little snark for the adults. Overall, highly recommended, especially for fans of Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. #NetGalley
I was lucky enough to be sent a copy via netgalley and I absolutely adored this story! It will be one I take into school to read to the children I teach. Funny, charming and meaningful. Steve is a lovely horse who wants to be special, but figures out that he's special with some help from his friends! Excellent to use in class or to teach young children that it's OK to be different!
I am a sucker for funny picture books containing animals. Steve reminds me of a goofy dog, and maybe that's why I loved him so much. I adored Steve's personality, the side "quips" and the cute and simple drawings. Most of all, I love Steve. He's funny and lovable.
Definitely a winner.
I was provided an ARC from NetGalley. The opinions are my own.
I love Steve! He is so adorable. The artwork in this book makes the entire story. The humor through the art alone makes this one a buy for me. I loved the story as well. Steve and his plans are funny and educational.. I especially loved the use of vocabulary in this. Children and adults alike will find this one a quick favorite.
is about wanting to feel special, wanting to be exceptional.
One of my favourite things in the book was the usage of 'big' words. Once you explain the word to a child, it becomes part of their vocabulary. That's how they learn.
Collier, Kelly A Horse Named Steve. PICTURE BOOK. Kids Can Press, 2017. $16.95. Content: G.
Steve is a fine horse, but what he really wants is to be exceptional. So when he finds a beautiful golden horn while walking through the forest, he eagerly ties it to the top of his head. Now, finally, Steve is exceptional. But can you really be exceptional when everyone starts copying your signature style?
With its hilarious text and illustrations, this one would make a fun read-aloud, and many outside-the-box children will understand Steve's desire to be fabulously different. It is reminiscent of the myth of Narcissus, but with a much funnier and more optimistic outcome. It would work especially well with a SWBST (Somebody Wanted But So Then) lesson since Steve's goals and conflicts are so clear.
EL (K-3) -- ADVISABLE. Reviewed by Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist
A Horse Named Steve is a picturebook by Kelly Collier about a horse named Steve who is a fine horse, but who longs to be more. When Steve finds a gold horn in the forest and attaches it to his head, ta-da! Exceptional! His friends are so impressed, they, too, attach objects to their own heads, in an effort to be as exceptional as Steve. So when Steve suddenly realizes his horn has gone missing, he’s devastated! He won’t be exceptional without his horn! Or will he?
A Horse Named Steve is a charming story about a horse wanting to be special, or more special than he already is. This is something everyone can relate to- especially young readers who are still trying to figure out just who they are. I like that Steve did learn the lesson that he is still special with or without the horn, but he still likes to have a special something. This shows him as not perfect, and more relatable to young readers, and makes the story more fun which will keep readers interested and entertain by the story after it is over. The illustrations are as fun and quirky as the story and made me love the book even more.