Kid’s Summer Reading Program
Join our free Kid’s Summer Reading Program
Summer reading is an important bridge between school years! Over the summer months, kids can lose valuable skills and knowledge. By participating in a summer reading program, studies show increased reading skills, motivation, confidence, and enjoyment. We have gathered some great international horse authors to promote literacy at all levels and have fun!
How It Works
Read, log your reading on our bingo card, and complete fun activities
It’s easy! Here’s how:
- DOWNLOAD the Kid’s Summer Reading Bingo Card or pick one up from one of the participating authors
- READ and complete activities on the card, mark each off as you complete them.
- Submit completed cards three ways! Post it on social media with parents’ permission with the hashtag #HorseBookSummerReading2022, have a parent email a photo to [email protected], or post it in our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/kidssummerreadingprogram2022.
Finish by August 1 to be eligible to win fun prizes* from participating authors. Be sure to check our Facebook Group for features with authors, additional activities, book reviews, and more!
* Prizes will be randomly drawn from all submitted entries.
Participating Authors
More authors are joining us daily!
M.D. Ford
https://whisperinghorsebooks.com
M. D. Ford grew up on a horse farm with many other animals. Before she was allowed to ride a horse, she had to learn every aspect of it first, from feeding, and washing, to leading. It didn’t take M. D. Ford long, and she started riding by the time she was five and started competing by the age of seven.
She has won over 500 ribbons and 250 trophies while also getting covered in dirt and hitting her knees on the barrels.
She captures this excitement in her Rocking Horse Rodeo Series, which starts with book #1, A Barrel Racer’s Dream storybook and activity book now available.
Cressida Burton
Cressida Burton knew she wanted to be a writer when she was seven years old and has never given up on that dream. She is now – finally – a full-time author. She writes The Ravensbay School Stories – set in a dreamy horsey boarding school – as well as standalone pony books.
Cressida started riding ponies at age six, learning on a very opinionated scruffy bay Shetland called Olaf. She still loves horses dearly despite being told as a child that ponies were ‘just a phase’. She believes she has hit the deck at least 150 times in her riding career. In her most spectacular fall she demolished a triple bar in a showjumping jump-off. She knows this was her own fault as she should have had more leg on!
Cressida lives in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, UK – where all her middle-grade pony books are set – with her husband and their big floof of a cat, Bilbo Baggins.
Helen Haraldsen
Helen Haraldsen is a children’s author, English teacher, and writing coach for adults and children aged 10+. She is passionate about all things reading and writing-related. She loves reading books for young people, and introducing children to the book that turns them into a reader is one of the highlights of her job.
Helen runs a reading club and a writers and illustrators club at her school. She has led two groups to plan, write, edit and publish two complete novels through a team-writing process.
Helen has also been involved with the Kids’ Lit Quiz for many years. Her team came third in the UK National Final in 2017 and won in 2019. They would have represented the UK in the 2020 World Final in New Zealand, had it not been cancelled due to Covid.
When she’s not reading, writing, or teaching, she’ll be busy at home in Cumbria looking after a variety of horses, dogs, ducks, and geese!
Her surname ‘Haraldsen’ is an old Scandinavian name and she inherited it from her grandfather who came from the Faroe Islands. Here’s Helen in Norway in 2018 sporting a rather fetching Viking helmet!
Laura Holt-Haslam
Award-winning author and lifelong horse enthusiast Laura Holt-Haslam writes books that entertain, educate, and inspire horse lovers of all ages. She’s passionate about sharing her love of horses through art, writing, and hands-on learning. Over the past 35 years, she has taught basic horsemanship and mentored hundreds of children and teens, encouraging them not only to become more confident equestrians but more compassionate people. Her middle-grade novels, Sofia’s Surprise, A Place for Sofia, and Sofia and Sundance explore the transformative power of horses and friendship.
Laura is the mother of two young adult children. She lives in Southern Maine with her husband, two adorably naughty cats, and the friendliest dog you’ll ever meet. She and her daughter share ownership of Max, a 26-year-old palomino miniature horse who loves to jump.
Max lives with his best friend, Dusty. They are the official spokesponies of River Pony Press.
Ann Hunter
Multi-award-winning author Ann Hunter is awesome. And hilarious. She is often told it must be a blast living in her brain. She argues that the voices in her head never shut up. The only way to get relief is to let them out onto the page.
She credits the voices for:
- Crowns of the Twelve – A fractured fairy tale series: Moonlight, Blade of Woe, The Subtle Beauty, Fallen, A Piece of Sky
- North Oak – championing tough kid and teen issues through the fast-paced world of horse racing.
She likes cherry soda with chocolate ice cream, is a mom first and a writer second, has a secret identity, and thinks the Twilight movies are cheesier than cheez whiz (which is why they are her guilty pleasure! And Oh my goodness, have you seen Vampires Suck? Bwahaha!)
She lives in a cozy Utah home with her two awesome kids and an epic husband
Piper Klemm
Dr. Piper Klemm is the owner and publisher of The Plaid Horse. Her mission is to educate young equestrians in every facet of our industry and to empower young women in particular to find their voices and stories—and to share them. She has spent her entire career focusing on education through various channels, including The Plaidcast, North America’s most listened-to horse show podcast; as a professor at Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University; co-authoring the Show Strides book series; and by providing educational articles, grants, and experiential learning opportunities for riders of all ages and levels. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley.
Maria Langella Sorgie
Maria Langella Sorgie is a writer of young adult fantasy and children’s books. The Earth Keeper’s Gift from Archway Publishing is her first endeavor.
Always a kid at heart and a lover of nature and all things living, writing The Earth Keeper’s Gift was a dream come true for Maria. The idea of the story of the Earth Keeper was born out of her background with horses, as she has worked extensively with them throughout her career, as both a rider and equine practitioner.
When not absorbed in her fantasy world of writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. A true lover of nature, she is proud to live in Independence Township, New Jersey.
Christine Meunier
www.christinemeunierauthor.com
I am an Australian woman who lives in Victoria, Australia with my husband and four children. I was introduced to horses at the age of 13 when my parents leased a horse for me. They then bought him for my 14th birthday – lucky me!
My background has included working on numerous thoroughbred studs in North East Victoria, a little in New South Wales, and then studying at the Irish National Stud. I have also worked at some horse riding schools in Melbourne both as a stable hand and instructor. In time I headed over to South Africa and rode endurance and trail horses on the Wild Coast.
I now focus my energy on teaching horse courses, writing horse books that are educational and entertaining, horse educational resources, and Equus Education, a blog which focuses on horse careers around the world.
Rae Rankin
Rae Rankin has always had a passion for writing and reading. She is an award-winning author having won recognition from the Equus Film and Arts Festival in 2019 for Cowgirl Lessons named Best Children’s Book USA and Cowgirl Christmas was named Best Children’s Holiday Book USA. In 2020 Cowgirl and the Ghost Horse was named Best Children’s Short Story at the 2020 Equus Film and Arts Festival and won a Purple Dragonfly Book Award in 2021. She has written four other books including her latest #1 New Release, Show Day, continuing the story of the Cowgirl kids and their horse adventures.
Rae lives in El Dorado Hills, CA with her husband, teenage equestrian daughter, a cat who eats plastic house plants, and a dog with her own business cards. She enjoys writing at the barn where her daughter trains with her 11-year-old Arabian, Honey’s Diva – “Diva”.
Tudor Robins
Tudor Robins is the author of books that move. She wants to move your heart, mind, and pulse with her writing. She currently has two series geared toward the young adult reader, the Island Series, and Stonegate Series.
A little piece of Tudor’s own heart is in many places: the central-Ottawa neighborhood where she grew up and still lives, the Gatineau hills and Eastern Ontario countryside where she loves to hike, Wolfe Island and the St. Lawrence River where she loves swimming and paddleboarding, and the university towns that are currently home to her children.
When she’s not writing, Tudor loves riding, running, quilting, and walking and talking with her best friends.
Laurie Salisbury
https://lauriezkidz.wixsite.com/mysite
Children’s author and speaker, Laurie Salisbury lives in Ovid, Michigan. She is a former Foster Parent and former Children’s Pastor. Inspiration comes from many places, but a deep faith in God, love for children, a childhood horse named Mandy, and an equine-loving son all combined to bring the He Reigns series to publication. Writing combines many of Laurie’s favorite things in life: Jesus, kids, books, and horses!
A few of her other favorite things are music, Italian food, old movies, popcorn, and iced tea.
