From Booklist , June 19, 1994 Ages 4-6. When Nora and Gramp leave the field after a day of horse-drawn mowing, there are two islands of uncut grass. Readers learn how Nora helps direct Gramp's mowing to avoid a fawn and a killdeer nest and how the woodchuck protects itself by burrowing. The watercolor and colored pencil illustrations often place the animal in the foreground: at the fawn's eye level, readers see the humans and the horses as peripheral guests in the world. The pictures and text suggest stewardship is more important than precision mowing. Mary Harris Veeder Copyright© 1994, American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Booklist, May 15, 1995
Ages 6^-8. Nora, who lives on a farm with her grandparents, is waiting for the mare Bonnie to give birth. The story conveys both the excitement and the emotional exhaustion of that wait. Smith's soft-edged watercolor-and-colored-pencil illustrations beautifully detail the animals on the farm, the stable, and even Nora and her grandparents. The pictures are touched with gentle, golden light, like the light of a springtime twilight. The foal eventually arrives, with only its mother as witness. Nora comes in soon after, and the story lingers for several pages on the young foal getting to its feet and nursing. After waiting such a long time, neither Nora nor the reader wants to be hurried along. In the long run, the foal, which comes to be named Finally, has been worth the wait. Mary Harris Veeder Copyright© 1995, American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Kirkus Reviews A heartfelt but awkwardly paced novel of an orphan finding her way in 1910 Vermont. Harriet, 13, loses her mother when their horse shies from an automobile. Still barely comprehending her loss, she must also leave the house she and her mother shared to go live with her dead father Walter's gruff sister. Sarah has had a hard life, and it shows, as she teaches Harry how to churn, gather hay, and find eggs, with little patience for her niece's longing for school, or for the colt she loves, foal of the mare who died when her mother did. Sarah hated Harry's mother, too, implying that pregnancy forced her beloved Walter into marriage. Harry doesn't know the family story, but visits to the cemetery and the stories of another uncle help her piece together her past and offer her insight into Sarah's brittleness. The emotional transitions are abrupt; the story predictably comes out all right when Harry's school tuition gets paid, and when she and Sarah recognize their ties in blood and feeling. Readers will be comforted by the cozy denouement, and by Haas's evocative descriptions of Vermont in the early years of this century. (Fiction. 9-14) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Kirkus Reviews , May 15, 1993
The mare Gramp brings home seems perfect in every way; neither Lily, an experienced rider who has outgrown her pony, nor Gramp himself, a knowledgeable horse trader when he's not at work at his job on the town roads, can find anything the matter with her. Still, Gramp is cautious, warning Lily that she shouldn't set her heart on a mount that may not work out: there must be some reason she's been named ``Beware.'' Skillfully, Haas (Skipping School, 1992) uses the mystery about what proves to be an unalarming behavioral quirk in an otherwise sweet and exemplary animal to provide enough tension to hold this charming vignette together, offering a slice of rural Vermont life so simply and vividly drawn that it's next thing to being there. Illustrations not seen, but the jacket painting by Lindsay Barrett George is unusually appealing. (Fiction. 6-12) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Booklist , May 15, 1995
Gr. 2-4. In this entertaining chapter-book sequel to Beware the Mare (1993), Lily and her young mare Beware are competing in their first horse show. It's exciting to be competing for real ribbons, surprisingly confusing and upsetting to be competing against a best friend, and exhilarating to come away with blue ribbons. Vivid descriptions of the events will make readers feel as if they had a ringside seat at the show, and there's an amazing amount of information about preshow preparations and scoring events. Horse lovers will relish the story and hope for more adventures featuring Lily and her spunky mare. Chris Sherman Copyright© 1995, American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Booklist , August 19, 1998 Gr. 2-5. The fourth episode featuring Lily and her beloved bay mare, Beware, finds them facing an unexpected challenge: rounding up the family's missing livestock after a violent storm. The cows, workhorses, and Gramps' wild, untamed Morgan, Stogie, have all disappeared, and Lily and Beware set off to track them down. Soon all the livestock are accounted for, except for Stogie. And Lily knows that to find him is one thing but to capture him and bring him in is another--a potentially dangerous endeavor. As in the previous books, the text is simple yet descriptive, with plenty of drama to hold the beginning reader's interest. Haas includes many details on the behavior and caretaking of horses, which will appeal to young fans of the genre. The characters of Lily and other family members are distinctively drawn, and Lily herself is someone to admire--she is down-to-earth, sensitive, responsible, and courageous. This latest installment is sure to satisfy earlier series fans as well as draw in new ones. Shelle Rosenfeld Copyright© 1998, American Library Association. All rights reserved

A reader from Dallas Texas June 28, 1998 -- This book will teach you to love horses for who they are.
Horse crazy Sarah finally gets to keep a horse for the winter, but this horse, Barney, isn't the horse of her dreams. Sarah thinks that Barney is a bad horse because of his dispotion. With a little help from Barney and his owner, Sarah realizes that Barney is just fine the way he is and starts to love him and his personality.