Gracie | On March 6, 2013

Ibook Deal of the Day: £2.49 “Belle’s Journey” by Marilynn Reynolds & Stephen McCallum

Every Saturday on the great, wide prairie, Molly rode her brown mare Belle to piano lessons. Eight miles to the piano teacher’s house and eight miles home.

Belle is too old and stiff to pull the ploughs or the wagons anymore. In fact, Molly’s horse barely earns her keep by carrying the young girl to piano lessons once a week. When Father wonders if they should get rid of Belle, Molly is delighted at the thought of prancing and galloping on a beautiful new pony.

But one winter day on the way home from piano lessons, Molly and Belle become lost in a sudden blizzard. And Belle, old and stiff as she is, confronts the terrible storm with every ounce of will she possesses. No matter what, Belle will not give up until she brings Molly home.

Set on the prairies during the twenties, Belle’s Journey is a moving story of steadfast devotion and a heroic fight for survival.

Marilynn Reynolds is the bestselling author of a number of picture books from Orca, including A Present for Mrs Kazinski, The Prairie Fire, The New Land, A Dog for a Friend and The Name of the Child, published in 2002. Her book Goodbye to Griffiths Street won the Christie Harris Award in 2005. Marilynn Reynolds was born in Sudbury, Ontario, but has spent most of her life on the Prairies. This life, combined with her mother’s and grandparents’ experiences growing up in wide-open spaces, gave her a wealth of story material and a unique look at early Canadian life.

Stephen McCallum is the illustrator of a number of picture books, including A Dog for a Friend, The Good Companionand The New Land.