The Little White Horse

The Little White Horse

Front cover of unknown edition
Author Elizabeth Goudge
Illustrator C. Walter Hodges
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Genre Children's fantasy novel
Publisher University of London
Publication date
June 1946
Media type Print (hardcover)
Pages 286 pp (first edition)
OCLC 12658611
LC Class PZ7.G71 Li[1]

The Little White Horse is a low fantasy children's novel by Elizabeth Goudge, first published by the University of London Press in 1946 with illustrations by C. Walter Hodges. Coward–McCann published a U.S. edition next year.[1] Set in 1842, it features a recently orphaned teenage girl who is sent to the manor house of her cousin and guardian in the West Country of England. The estate, village, and vicinity are shrouded in mystery and magic; the "little white horse" is a unicorn.

Goudge won the annual Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book by a British subject.[2] It has been adapted for film and television.

WorldCat participating libraries report holding editions in eleven languages of translation.[3]

Plot summary

Maria Merryweather becomes an orphan at age 13, upon her father's death in 1842. She is sent to the Moonacre Manor somewhere in the west of England, accompanied by her governess Miss Heliotrope and dog Wiggins. There she finds herself in a world out of time. Her cousin and guardian Sir Benjamin Merryweather is one of the "sun" Merryweathers, and she loves him right away, as sun and moon Merryweathers do. Maria discovers that there is an ancient mystery about the founding of the estate.

She is aided by wonderful people and magical beasts, but it is only by self-sacrifice and perseverance, too, that Maria is able to save Moonacre, right the wrongs, reunite lost loves and finally bring peace to the valley.

Characters

Adaptations

The 1994 television mini-series Moonacre was based on The Little White Horse.

In 2008, the book was adapted into a film called The Secret of Moonacre, written by Lucy Shuttleworth and Graham Alborough and directed by Gabor Csupo. Starring Dakota Blue Richards as Maria,[4] the movie was mostly shot in Hungary and released in February 2009.

Praises

Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling mentioned that The Little White Horse was her favourite childhood book.[5]

See also

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References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "The little white horse" (first edition). Library of Congress Catalog Record.
    "The little white horse" (first U.S. edition). LCC record. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
  2. (Carnegie Winner 1946). Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners. CILIP. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  3. "Formats and Editions of The little white horse". WorldCat. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
  4. "Richards Returns In Moonacre". SciFi Wire. 2007-12-03. Archived from the original on 2008-02-03. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  5. "Tea and Cake with JK Rowling" in Words With Jam, June 2011
Citations

External links

Awards
Preceded by
The Wind on the Moon
Carnegie Medal recipient
1946
Succeeded by
Collected Stories for Children