This was an interesting little book. I liked Henry's take on the foundation stallion of the Morgan breed, Figure. It had a few very good, engaging parts in it. I particularly enjoyed the pulling scene. It had its entertaining points.

The ending was unsatisfying, however. As with so many of Henry's books,

Spoiler

the main character being permanently separated from the horse

didn't sit very well with me. Still, it's a solid entry in Marguerite Henry's collection, and worth the read.

cute story! looks like its true as well - she has a lot of resources in the back. This was a very enjoyable story in the old-school tradition, which is about right, as she wrote it in 1945! Very reminiscent of the stories I remember reading as a child, and the ones I really loved.

As a young girl, I desperately wanted a horse as so many girls do. My parents bought be Marguerite Henry's Misty books instead. As an adult, I'm no longer a horse person other than to appreciate their beauty, but I have a nine year-old daughter who's a lot like me. While she read the Misty books on her own, I read this to her as part of our school curriculum. We both enjoyed it immensely. I appreciated the historical aspects of it as well as the kindness and affection portrayed between the characters of Joel and Master Morgan and the affection between Joel and Little Bub, in addition to the positive character Joel showed in his persistence of caring for and pursuing Little Bub.
It's a worthy book for education and pleasure.

A delightful read! Based roughly on the history of the Morgan breed of horses, the characters are warm and believable and the story line engaging. Thoroughly enjoyed!

This was a wonderful little story. It gave us a very rich glimpse into the time period as well as into the beginnings of the Morgan horse breed. Thoroughly enjoyed by all!

A cute book about a historical horse.

Little Bub, Justin Morgan's horse, knows how to make a statement. From the first whinny in chapter one as a "too small" colt to the "deep snorty rumble" he obliges to President Monroe at the peak of the horse's fame, he frames the history of the first of the Morgan breed in style.

Justin Morgan Had a Horse depicts the real story of how the Morgan breed came to be. It hauls logs, pulls carriages, out races Thoroughbreds on the 1/2 mile, possesses a sweet disposition and calm manner, and packs all those characteristics into a tiny body that originally no one thought would be worth any money. Marguerite Henry consults with many historians, surviving relatives of some of her book's characters, and many history books to make her horse stories as authentic as possible. That and great story telling makes all of her books fascinating reads.

The narrative follows Joel Goss, initially a ten-year-old boy joining his teacher, Justin Morgan, on a peregrination to Massachusetts. Morgan has debts to repay, and he was hoping a friend that owed him had the money. Instead Morgan and Joel leave with one colt...wait, it seems the friend saw Joel eyeing the other colt, so the friend left the gait open and...two colts. Joel and Little Bub begin their story.

Morgan can't find anyone willing to buy such a small creature and had Joel gentle and train him. Joel aims to buy Little Bub one day, but in the meanwhile a novel passes. Little Bub grows in fame. He's able to do everything one can expect from a horse, and then some. Size doesn't matter. However, money does and Joel has to keep saving.

I love Henry's books for many reasons: the horses, the history, the friendliness of the people, and the bond between the main human character and the main equine character. Joel wants a life filled with love and horses, and he's willing to find a way to make that happen even though his father forces him to sign on as an apprentice to the town's inn and sawmill owner. Little Bub gets rented and owned all over, competes all over, but Joel finds a way to accompany him. I imagine those movies where bad things happen to the animals--and even though this rarely happens in Henry's books--I feel like Joel is a projection of myself, and assuring the safety of the horse everywhere he goes.

I'm amazed how long-lived Little Bub was. The book runs from around 1794 to maybe 1815--the book is vague at some points, but shows official dates at others. Little Bub was put to work almost immediately--trained over his first winter in Vermont, and logging by summer. So he couldn't have been as tiny as the earliest chapters make him sound, which was perhaps a yearling. I'm going to suppose he was born in 1791 to be barely old enough for the heavy hauling he did. He's perfectly healthy around 1815. I'd imagine 24 years is exceptional for a horse in that time period.

Little Bub, who adopted his owner's name Justin Morgan, was the little horse that could