The Jockey & Her Horse (Once Upon a Horse #2): Inspired by the True Story of the First Black Female Jockey, Cheryl White

by Sarah Maslin Nir, Raymond White, Laylie Frazier (Illustrator)

Overview

Following in the hoofprints of The Flying Horse, Pulitzer Prize nominee Sarah Maslin Nir and Raymond White Jr.’s The Jockey & Her Horse is the second title in the Once Upon a Horse series. Illustrated with black-and-white art by Laylie Frazier, it is inspired by the true story of the first Black female jockey, Cheryl White, who raced to the finish line on her horse, Jetolara.

Cheryl loves horses. She’s been studying thoroughbreds at her family’s horse-racing stables since she was old enough to ride on the shoulders of her father, a famous horse trainer. Cheryl wants to be a jockey. One problem—she is a girl, and there has never been a Black female jockey in history!

Jetolara is a young thoroughbred finding his place in the herd. When Cheryl literally falls onto his back and Jeto sprints off across the pasture, Cheryl discovers that she doesn’t just want to be a jockey, she is a jockey—and she and Jeto were born to race. Together, girl and horse make history and show everyone that once you learn to love yourself, the world is yours.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781951836696
Publisher:	Cameron Kids
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Series:	Once Upon a Horse
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	179,208
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.30(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Sarah Maslin Nir is a Pulitzer Prize–nominated New York Times reporter and the author of Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love with an Animal. Flying Horse is her first book with Cameron Kids. She lives and works in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

Sarah Maslin Nir has drawn on a life in love with horses to craft this wonderful novel based on the girlhood of the first Black woman jockey, Cheryl White. Like White, Nir knows the exhilaration of pounding hooves as well as the profound connection that can form between a horse and rider. This is the kind of history we all should know: a moving story of courage and resilience.” —Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner

"Young readers, especially those who are girls of color, will find a spark in White’s achievements. Pulitzer ­Prize–­nominated Nir takes the notion of a horse book and elevates it to a work of inspiration."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Sarah Maslin Nir has drawn on a life in love with horses to craft this wonderful novel based on the girlhood of the first Black woman jockey, Cheryl White. Like White, Nir knows the exhilaration of pounding hooves as well as the profound connection that can form between a horse and [his] rider. This is the kind of history we all should know: a moving story of courage and resilience.

Geraldine Brooks

11/01/2023

Gr 3–5—History becomes more inclusive by amplifying the remarkable stories of lesser-known groundbreakers. One such story is that of the first female Black jockey Cheryl White. Horse racing rose to popularity after being brought to America by enslaved Africans, and many of the earliest career jockeys were African Americans, like Oliver Lewis, winner of the first Kentucky Derby. In the 20th century, jockeying became a sport of white male competitors—a fact that didn't faze 17-year-old Cheryl White. Growing up on a thoroughbred horse farm in the 1960s as a third-generation horse trainer meant White had horse racing in her blood. White's tenacity and talent for jockeying was met in equal measure with the rampant racism and sexism of the time. Though obstacles came in many forms from many sources (even her father was hesitant to support her competing), White built a tremendously successful jockeying career. Coauthored by White's brother Raymond White, Jr. and journalist Nir, this biographical narrative sticks closely to the events of Cheryl's life as they transpired, the only exception being a quiz-show trip to Senegal. Young readers, especially those who are girls of color, will find a spark in White's achievements. VERDICT Pulitzer Prize–nominated Nir takes the notion of a horse book and elevates it to a work of inspiration. A recommended purchase for public and school library collections.—Sarah Simpson

School Library Journal

Sarah Maslin Nir has drawn on a life in love with horses to craft this wonderful novel based on the girlhood of the first Black woman jockey, Cheryl White. Like White, Nir knows the exhilaration of pounding hooves as well as the profound connection that can form between a horse and rider. This is the kind of history we all should know: a moving story of courage and resilience.

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner Geraldine Brooks