Prince's Papa and Mama are famous race horses. Papa wants Prince to grow up and win trophies and ribbons, too, but he soon finds out that Prince is, well...different. Mama and Papa love Prince the way he is, but sadly, many of the other horses bully Prince because of his differences. Prince endures some hard times before he learns that the same things that make him different also make him very, very special. In a surprise ending, Prince finds happiness in using his unique qualities to bring happiness to others as well. Written by a former schoolteacher, Prince the surprise Horse's whimsical storytelling and delightful illustrations offer an engaging way to introduce the complex topics of bullying and self esteem to young audiences.
About the Author: Nita Kay Logemann has been involved with, concerned for, and loved children for many decades. Kay grew up in "Little ole Blue Earth," as her mother called it, a small town in Minnesota with a population of 3000. Her family's one hundred year old house and basement was home to her first classroom at age ten. Her pupils were imaginary children, of course, taught with the aid of a homemade blackboard her Daddy made. Kay got into the world of real live children after graduating from Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota, with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Music. She loved being in an active school classroom and imparting knowledge to real live children. At times she could scarcely believe she was being paid to have such fun and adventure. A few years later found Kay at home with a husband and a "classroom" of four little boys. They were not sitting properly at their desks. They were in her arms, in her bathroom, in the car, in the street and when there was a storm, even in her bed. Now she was responsible for them learning, not district school curriculum, but basic simple survival skills such as: how to hold a cup, put toothpaste on a brush, put a shirt on through the neck hole and not the sleeve, share your toys, AND how to deal with the neighborhood bullies that seem to exist in nearly every neighborhood. In addition to her teaching career, Kay also studied violin for twenty years. When her "home learning center" became extinct, she became a violin teacher. It gave her great joy to teach violin and share music and the violin with hundreds of children and adults for over thirty years. Kay lives in Wausau, WI with her dog, Suzie. Prince the Surprise Horse is her first children's book.