A boy hears the ringing of a hammer in the evening air. He follows the
sound to the blacksmith shop where the fiery forge makes it a warm place
on a winter's night. The boy watches as his father pounds steel on an
anvil. Tonight he is making shoes for Shadow Horse. When the big horse
arrives, led by his owner, he stomps and whinnies. Then, after a few
pats on his broad back and a sugar-cube treat, Shadow Horse settles
down. The father lifts the left hoof and the shoeing begins. The night
will be a special one for the boy, when his father helps him shoe his
first horse. Linda Oatman High's beautiful story depicts the loving bond
between parent and child, while Ted Lewin's luminescent illustrations
capture the heat and flickering shadows of a blacksmith shop one cold
night in winter.