Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The Depression-era equine darling may have hit his nostalgia peak a few years ago, but his story’s still compelling in this account by seasoned picture-book author/illustrator McCarthy. The book covers Seabiscuit’s transformation from scruffy loser to—well, scruffy winner, his loyal team of owner, trainer, and jockey, and his appeal to the economically pinched crowds; the saga here culminates in Seabiscuit’s famous match race with War Admiral, where the little guy solidly whipped his sleek, leggy rival. The account is simplified for the youngest audiences, and they’ll get the high points of the story (novice readers may also appreciate the tight focus and bolded emphasis on dramatic phrases) without getting lost in detail. The illustrations demonstrate that McCarthy’s trademark bug eyes are an equine as well as a human feature, and Seabiscuit tends to grin toothily as well, so the cartooning is genuinely comic at times; the acrylic paintings are subtly toned, though, with gray touches muting the colors slightly and conveying the distance and dispiritedness of the era. The goofily appealing horses and the underdog-victory story ensure appeal beyond the usual horse fans, and this could even make an interesting approach to examining the Depression itself. An extensive note gives more information about Seabiscuit’s human team and a little more about the horse himself, and a list of sources is appended.