George the Purple Spotted Horse: A Graphic Tale

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

George was a horse of a different color. To be precise, he was a purple
spotted horse. Because he was different, George had a very lonely
childhood. He amused himself by running alone and became very fast. One
day, George fell in love with a beautiful filly named Alice, but her
father disapproved, so George left home determined to make his fortune.
In his travels, George fell in with a gang of misfit horses, which
included a Sea Horse, a Saw Horse, and a Melancholy Horse.

To prove that he was not a loser, George entered a horse race. The
“normal” horses cheated because they were afraid George would win,
but the misfit horses helped George win the race. George became so rich
and famous that even Alice’s father finally liked him. George married
Alice and they had six offspring, and two of them are purple spotted
colts.

If you are in the mood for something a little different, this tiny
chapter book might fit the bill. The story and illustrations by James
Kemp, father of playwright, novelist, and sound poet Penn Kemp, were
created around the 1950s. According to Penn Kemp, this book is a
symbolic autobiography by her dad. Although the storyline is fairly
well-worn, it is helped by comic touches like the Melancholy Horse. The
book is not likely to become a mass-market hit, but it definitely has an
offbeat charm. Recommended with reservations.