When I made my initial inquiry about finding a supposedly long-lost book about a girl living in Manhattan who convinces her parents to let her keep a horse on her apartment roof, I have to admit that I was picturing a long quest in order to actually find this book. Together, my readers and I would puzzle out the details of the book, slowly but surely. When I finally found it, I would know the book instantly.
Well, as luck would have it, within weeks of my first blog post, two friends solved the mystery for me. The book I was looking for, they told me, was The Horse On The Roof by Bob Wells. One friend actually brought the book to me:
Amazing, right? Well, here's the only problem. I discovered, as we adults so often do, that when you've been building something up in your head for about twenty years, often the real thing falls short.
Don't get me wrong. I sat down read this book, and was instantly mesmerized. It's so wonderfully charming. Even though it's one of those books that when you start it, you know exactly how it'll turn out, you still enjoy every twist and turn along the way.
Melinda (like every young girl) dreams of a horse, and even though her family moves from the country to Manhattan, her Uncle Buck makes it happen. He rents out the roof of the building they are living in (twelve stories up), he finds dirt that no one wants, plants seeds, makes a pasture, and manages to raise $153.30 to buy the horse. I love how this simple need to have a horse seems to be universal for young girls. I know I always dreamed of having my own horse, and I grew up in DC where keeping a horse wasn't realistic, hence my initial connection to this book. Even Mrs. Pontey, the crabby tenant who petitions to get Marshmallow the horse off the apartment roof, finally caves - realizing that she had the childhood dream of having a horse as well.
I think one of the most magical parts of this book is that even though the story is fairly far-fetched, the author tells it in such a matter-of-fact manner. Having a horse twelve stories up in Manhattan? Probably never would happen. Yet often when I'm in the city, I find myself wondering if maybe, just maybe, there's a pasture with grass, flowers, a frog pond, and a horse and her colt wandering about high above me.
So why has this book stuck with me throughout the years? Is it the message of the book, or the allure of the mystery behind finding the book? Something about the texture of the words in the book I remembered really stuck with me. I remember the experience of reading this book very clearly even twenty some odd years later, and I've always remembered it as an experience that added to my developing childhood character. I truly believe that books you read, especially as a kid, can change you, or influence you in some way. My childhood was so rich in books - books from my parents, books from the public library that we walked to every week, and books from my school. I imagine every book weaving it's way into the tapestry of the person I am today.
The Horse On The Roof is everything it should be, and yet - it's not as I remembered it. I don't remember this book feeling so old-fashioned. Then again, I must have read this book in the early 90's, and the world has changed a great deal since then. I don't remember the character of the uncle at all, and Uncle Buck's twangy voice doesn't really ring a bell for me. Also, in the book in my head, the girl is really more of the sole instigator behind actually getting the horse. The way I remembered it, her parents weren't really in on it at first, and then once she had the horse up on the roof, she got her parents on board. I'm currently looking into the possibility that I'm just trying to poke holes in this book because it's different from how I remembered it!
So, there are two explanations. One - I'm just remembering this book plain wrong. Two - there is another book about a girl living in Manhattan who arranges for a horse to live on the apartment roof. Hmm.....
At any rate, it's good to know that there are a couple people out there reading my blog. Thank you for helping me in my quest to find this book!
Julie
Well, as luck would have it, within weeks of my first blog post, two friends solved the mystery for me. The book I was looking for, they told me, was The Horse On The Roof by Bob Wells. One friend actually brought the book to me:
Amazing, right? Well, here's the only problem. I discovered, as we adults so often do, that when you've been building something up in your head for about twenty years, often the real thing falls short.
Don't get me wrong. I sat down read this book, and was instantly mesmerized. It's so wonderfully charming. Even though it's one of those books that when you start it, you know exactly how it'll turn out, you still enjoy every twist and turn along the way.
Melinda (like every young girl) dreams of a horse, and even though her family moves from the country to Manhattan, her Uncle Buck makes it happen. He rents out the roof of the building they are living in (twelve stories up), he finds dirt that no one wants, plants seeds, makes a pasture, and manages to raise $153.30 to buy the horse. I love how this simple need to have a horse seems to be universal for young girls. I know I always dreamed of having my own horse, and I grew up in DC where keeping a horse wasn't realistic, hence my initial connection to this book. Even Mrs. Pontey, the crabby tenant who petitions to get Marshmallow the horse off the apartment roof, finally caves - realizing that she had the childhood dream of having a horse as well.
I think one of the most magical parts of this book is that even though the story is fairly far-fetched, the author tells it in such a matter-of-fact manner. Having a horse twelve stories up in Manhattan? Probably never would happen. Yet often when I'm in the city, I find myself wondering if maybe, just maybe, there's a pasture with grass, flowers, a frog pond, and a horse and her colt wandering about high above me.
So why has this book stuck with me throughout the years? Is it the message of the book, or the allure of the mystery behind finding the book? Something about the texture of the words in the book I remembered really stuck with me. I remember the experience of reading this book very clearly even twenty some odd years later, and I've always remembered it as an experience that added to my developing childhood character. I truly believe that books you read, especially as a kid, can change you, or influence you in some way. My childhood was so rich in books - books from my parents, books from the public library that we walked to every week, and books from my school. I imagine every book weaving it's way into the tapestry of the person I am today.
The Horse On The Roof is everything it should be, and yet - it's not as I remembered it. I don't remember this book feeling so old-fashioned. Then again, I must have read this book in the early 90's, and the world has changed a great deal since then. I don't remember the character of the uncle at all, and Uncle Buck's twangy voice doesn't really ring a bell for me. Also, in the book in my head, the girl is really more of the sole instigator behind actually getting the horse. The way I remembered it, her parents weren't really in on it at first, and then once she had the horse up on the roof, she got her parents on board. I'm currently looking into the possibility that I'm just trying to poke holes in this book because it's different from how I remembered it!
So, there are two explanations. One - I'm just remembering this book plain wrong. Two - there is another book about a girl living in Manhattan who arranges for a horse to live on the apartment roof. Hmm.....
At any rate, it's good to know that there are a couple people out there reading my blog. Thank you for helping me in my quest to find this book!
Julie
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