"Native Treasure" Book Review

“Native Treasure” is a dedication to the appaloosa horse written by Rita K. Nicholson. The appaloosa was thought to be introduced to the Americas as early as the 1500s by the Spanish explorers, and since then has seen many ups and downs. In 1877, the appaloosa horse was down to only a handful. In 1938, The Appaloosa Horse Club was founded and through their efforts, the breed has been restored.

“Native Treasures” includes many different pictures of appaloosas just being themselves. Quotes from sources such as the Bible, the Lewis and Clark Journals, and the author’s own writings fill the pages as well.

I think this is a good book for appaloosa lovers, or just horse lovers in general. My younger sister absolutely LOVED horses when she was growing up, and I know she would have loved this book. The pictures are great, and I enjoyed reading the quotes. My favorite was the story about the horse who swallowed a Wal-Mart bag (it didn’t really…a young child thought the amniotic sac was a Wal-Mart bag), but the pictures of the newborn foal were amazing. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the dust cover. For a book that people are going to want to share with others, those get wrinkled and torn too easily. The price at $38 is also a little high for me, but overall I really enjoyed this book.

I received a complimentary copy of "Native Treasure" as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.  See disclaimer for more details.