Following in the hoofprints of The Flying Horse, this second title in the Once Upon a Horse series is inspired by the true story of the first Black female jockey, Cheryl White, who raced to the finish line on her horse, Jetolara.
THE JOCKEY & HER HORSE (Once Upon a Horse #2)
by Sarah Maslin Nir & Raymond White Jr.
illustrated by Laylie Frazier
Cameron Kids/Abrams, September 2023
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.
Sarah Maslin Nir is a New York Times reporter, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and the author of Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love with an Animal and The Flying Horse, published by Cameron Kids. She lives and works in New York City.
Ohio-based Raymond White Jr. hails from a family of racehorse professionals and has held almost every job there is in the racing world—jockeys’ agent, exercise rider, assistant trainer, groom—except for jockey, like his sister, Cheryl, because he was too tall! The Jockey and Her Horse is his first book.
Laylie Frazier is a fine artist and illustrator inspired by the natural world. She lives in Houston, Texas.
Trendsetter is a horse destined to fly—in more ways than one. Sarah is a horse-loving seventh grader who has a secret and a fear of losing the one thing she loves most in the world. Separated by an ocean, a horse and a girl’s parallel struggles to be their best include lots of luck and grit, some stubbornness, and a few failures. It is only when they find each other that the two kindred spirits find themselves. Together they learn that what’s important in life isn’t greatness—it’s being great at being you. Inspired by a real horse and a real girl, THE FLYING HORSE will make horse-lovers’ hearts soar.