Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Come on Seabiscuit
Nonfiction
For ages 10 and up
Unabridged audiobook (CD)
Performed/read by: Jim Weiss
Blackstone Audiobooks, 2003 ISBN: 0786189312
He had an impressive family line, but Seabiscuit was not at all what people had hoped for. He had knobbly knees, and his legs seemed to be too short for his body. In short he was not a promising looking race horse colt. From the start the man who was going to train Seabiscuit was set against him, and he worked the little horse hard. Seabiscuit was not one to give up however, and he gave his best. In fact his best was nothing to sneeze at, and he earned a sizeable amount of money in winnings from races. Still the trainer could not, or would not, see that Seabiscuit had a big heart and great courage; he worked Seabiscuit so hard that the young horse was close to collapsing, and his joints were in very bad shape from all the overuse they had received.
Luckily for Seabiscuit, one day in 1936 an old cowboy horse trainer convinced his employer to buy Seabiscuit. Tom Smith had a lot of experience with healing broken down racehorses, and he set about doing all he could to get Seabiscuit fit and well again. With great care and love Tom, the groom, the jockey, and the owners – Seabiscuit’s “folks” – got the horse back into racing form.
Then Seabiscuit began to show the racing world what he was made of, and it wasn’t long before his winnings had paid back the owner every cent that he had spent on Seabiscuit in the first place.
Seabiscuit went on to become the darling of the racing world. In a time when America was reeling from the catastrophic effects of the Great Depression, Seabiscuit’s accomplishments despite his physical handicaps touched people’s hearts. When Seabiscuit won a race against the famous Triple Crown Winner War Admiral, the fans went wild.
This story about the courage of an exceptional horse and of the people who loved him will not only delight horse and race fans. It will touch the hearts of listeners of all kinds and of all ages. This recording is superbly read by Jim Weiss who captures the unconventional natures of Seabiscuit's “folks.”
