Fritz was not beautiful. He didn’t have a braided mane or a glossy coat. He couldn’t prance with long, graceful strides like the elegant horses who carried lords and lovely ladies to the city—a city that allowed only the most beautiful horses within its walls. The citizens laughed at the short-legged pony’s attempts to be like their own horses. But Fritz was dependable and hard-working. He proved to the citizens that there are things more important than being beautiful. He earned a special place for himself in the walled city just as he’ll earn a special place in every reader’s heart. Jan Brett’s full-color artwork sparkles in intricate detail across every page of this exceptional picture book about Fritz, a sure-footed pony who finally gets the chance to shine in his own best way.

What Kind of Book is Fritz and the Beautiful Horses

Topics

being yourself belonging horses social themes bullying animals ponies rescues and rescuing

Genres

fiction fairy tales and folklore

Reviews

The Goodfather

4.00

The story is simple and predictable but still enjoyable. I enjoy Brett's recognizable illustration style. I think the story could be more meaningful with an alternative ending that didn't focus on societal acceptance as much as Fritz discovering his own inherent worth.

Book Lists That Include This Book

The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family

Books about being yourself

Books about belonging

Books about horses

The Creative Behind the Book

Author & Illustrator

Jan Brett

With over thirty four million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation’s foremost author illustrators of children’s books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, “I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I’m drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real.”