Are we there yet? Nearly there… a new horse book for children
How many of us parents remember the words ‘Are we there yet? Are we there yet?’ chanted loudly from the back seat (or booster seat) of our cars by enthusiastic or bored offspring dying to get to the end of their journey? And our patient reply of ‘Nearly There’?
Johanna and Gabrielle have written and illustrated a new book for children which is suitable for the young person in all of us. Inspired by their love of horses and the West Cork countryside, ‘Nearly There’ is a story of discovery and friendship.
The two artists have been good friends for eleven years and based their book on two very real but completely different horses: Budley, a solid cob and Bishop, a feisty thoroughbred mare. As you can see from the photo of an elephant greeting Bishop, even in real life these horses met some interesting characters! This elephant was part of a travelling circus which was on tour in West Cork when Johanna says an ‘elegant trunk suddenly appeared over the hedge’.
In the book, the fictional characters of Budley and Bishop escape from an unloved home and go on an exciting journey, meeting other creatures along the way. The book comes with a CD and is also available as an app for iPad which can be purchased from iTunes.