King of the wind

In this Contemporary Realistic Fiction book, a young Moroccan stable boy accompanies one of the Sultan’s prize horses to France. When the boy and horse arrive at France to be presented to the King, they are turned away and sent to a traveler’s inn. Through many harsh circumstances, the boy and

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horse eventually end up at a Duke’s stable. The Duke at first does not like the horse, but once the horse sires a foal, he welcomes the horse and boy back to his stables. The horse is as fast as the wind but is never given the chance to prove himself. However, his sons are found to be the fastest race horses the English countries have ever seen. In the end, the Moroccan horse is claimed King of the Wind and fathers the new blood line of the English racehorse, the thoroughbred.

I just read this story after many years of it sitting on my bookshelf. I love reading stories about animals, especially dogs and horses, but this one was a little depressing. The boy and the horse are mistreated all throughout this book until the very end of it. It was interesting to find out the story behind the Godolphin Arabian horse through this book’s information.

I would recommend this book to someone who liked to read about royalty, horses and horse races. A neat idea to use with this book would to be to incorporate it in a science unit in a secondary agriculture class. I would have the students research the beginnings of the thoroughbred horse and see if it really does trace back to the Moroccan beliefs. Another interesting point this book uses are the superstitions that surround horses regarding their birthmarks. I would also have the students research horse folklore and learn about some of the mysteries that surround horses.

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This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid - one of the few that I read over and over again. I would study the illustrations (Dennis) and try to copy them. It was one of the few books that I actually owned as a child which, perhaps, explained why it was so special. I still own that original

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scholastic paperback copy. The story is beautiful, full of adventure and I especially remember that Henry's descriptions of the colours of the horses were magical.

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This is a great book for children who love horse stories. The boy and his horse begin in 1700's Morocco, travel to the royal courts of France, and in the end to the stately homes of England.

The horse Sham is given by the Sultan of Morroco to the King of France. Accompanied by his faithful keeper agba, Sham is sold as a cart horse instead of entering the Kings stables. After a series of adventures with Afaithful Agba, Sham is bought by an English aristocrat and sires many famous

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thoroughbreds.

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This is the story of the founding father of racehorses, Sham, “King of the Wind,” and his friend, the stable boy, Agba. The story begins in Morocco where the sultan sends Sham and Agba off to France as a gift for the king. But the French laugh at the little horse and Sham is sent off to a

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series of owners, here and there, loved and hated, until he finally ends up in England. It is only in England when the true nature of Sham’s racing abilities are realized through his offspring, three horses who win for their owner prize after prize.

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Part of the appeal of this story is the overwhelming odds that Agba and Sham overcome before someone recognizes the worth of Sham. I especially liked the love Agba had for Sham and how he stuck with Sham despite the difficulties of being mute and a foreigner. The illustrations (by Dennis Wesley)

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are quite detailed and beautiful.

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This was my favorite book as a child - I received it for Christmas or my birthday in about 1955. I read it again and again as I grew. Then I read it to my children, and while they were somewhat underwhelmed, my daughter later gave me the deluxe edition in 2001 and my son found the original among

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his books and gave it back to me. I have since read it several times and it never fails to move me. Not only is this a compelling tale of the origins of one of the great race horse breeds, but it is a fascinating history of cultures of the Islamic Middle East, France and England. It was my first introduction to the culture of Arabia and the practices of Islam. Very enlightening for a little American girl.

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One of my favourite books of all time. A true classic, and a must-read for anyone who loves horses.

A children's book from the 40s.
Tells the tale of the arrival of the first Arabian horse into the UK and the founding of the breed of horses that race to this day.
While I am prepared to accept that it may have elements of truth, it far too neatly falls into the realms of fairy tale story for me to

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accept that it is in any way a faithful representation of the story. Agba is a mute horseboy in the court of the Sultan. He has a favourite colt, a bay the colour of the sun, who he calls Sham. This horse is marked with a white spot of speed on his heel. Agba, Sham and 5 other pairs of boys & horses are selected as a great gift to the French King. Only they don't arrive in good condition, the horses being underfed and looking good for nothing but the knacker's yard on arrival. It then goes from bad to worse in France before he's rescued and brought to England. it doesn't go smoothly there either, still being put to work pulling carts, and as a mount at a stable rather the the racer Sham was destined to be. Sham never does win a race, but his offspring do, and he lives out his life in a pampered state. Agba is less lucky. The Sultan said that the horseboys were to stay with their horses until the horse died, and at that point the mute boy returns to Morocco.
I found it a pleasant enough read, but was left with far too many unanswered questions. Agba seems never to communicate with anyone but the horse, so how come he managed to stay with it all the way through? How can this be a true story, if he can't communicate - how can he tell what he & the horse endured? It just didn't hold true to me. Having said that, it's a children's book. I never went through a horsey stage, but I imagine it would entrance any 8 year old who did.

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I like, not love horses; but I'm a sucker for a good animal story; and this one, based on history with some liberty in the telling, is outstanding. I loved the book as a kid, and it's still a great read in my 50's. The detail of the backgrounds, from Morocco to the streets of Paris and the marshes

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in England, the riches-to-rags-to-riches story of the fiery Arabian Sham and the mute boy, Agba, who loved him; make this book a wonderful reading experience.

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He was named Sham for the sun, this golden red stallion born in the Sultan of Morocco's stone stables. Upon his heel was a small white spot, the symbol of speed. But on his chest was the symbol of misfortune. Although he was as swift as the desert winds, Sham's proud pedigree would be scorned all

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his life by cruel masters and owners. This is the classic story of Sham and his friend, the stable boy Agba. Their adventures take them from the sands of the Sahara to the royal courts of France and, finally, to the green pastures and stately homes of England. For Sham was the renowned Godolphin Arabian, whose blood flows through the veins of almost every superior Thoroughbred. Sham's speed-like his story-has become legendary.

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When I was a preteen, I read several books by Marguerite Henry, but not King of the Wind. I probably didn't want to read it because the main human character is a boy. But now I have read it, and in my estimation it is a beautifully-written and illustrated story about the deep bond between a mute,

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parentless stable boy and an extraordinary stallion. The two, along with their cat companion Grimalkin, experience many hardships that would have defeated weaker souls, but they triumph in the end. That the ending is ultimately happy may seem a little predictable (this is a children's book after all), but it is uplifting all the same.

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childhood favorite re-visited.

Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes

What ages would I recommend it too? – All ages. Children will enjoy the single storyline; while adults enjoy an easy afternoon read (especially while waiting on a bus, show, doctor, or other appointments).

Length? –

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Reasonable for an afternoon.

Characters? – Memorable, several characters.

Setting? – Real world, Historical times.

Written approximately? – 1948.

Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Yes! The reader really begins to feel for the character. How was he received when he returned home?

Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? None.

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My absolute favorite of Henry's stories. I was bewitched from the first pages, learning about such exotic things as Ramadan and Sultans and politics. Not just horse stories, but so much more! And the illustrations by Wesley Dennis were always gorgeous - if you're new to Henry's books Please! make

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sure the edition you're reading includes his art-work!

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He was named "Sham" for the sun, this golden red stallion born in the Sultan of Morocco's stone stables. Upon his heel was a small white spot, the symbol of speed. But on his chest was the symbol of misfortune. Although he was as swift as the desert winds, Sham's proud pedigree would be scorned all

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his life by cruel masters and owners. This is the classic story of Sham and his friend, the stable boy Agba. Their adventures take them from the sands of the Sahara to the royal courts of France and, finally, to the green pastures and stately homes of England. For Sham was the renowned Godolphin Arabian, whose blood flows through the veins of almost every superior Thoroughbred. Sham's speed-like his story-has become legendary.

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It seems like all the "classic" books about horses follow the same mold; the horse is born, grows up, learns how to handle humans, goes through a casting out period where they are treated horribly and become separated from the people they love, then somewhere toward the end they find their family

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or human again and all is restored in the world. This book fits right in with that category, so why do we all love it so deeply?

The story of Sham is the story of hope, of struggle through hardship and the return to grace. It is also the story of the strength in friendship. But more than all of this, it is the story of a great horse who was made great not by his deeds, but by the deeds of his children. King of the Wind captures the essence of Sham's greatness, showing it to the readers in a way that his actions were never allowed to do, all while describing the experiences in the most beautiful and heart-touching detail. Horse lovers and fans of racing will find that this book is so all-encompassing that they simply can not put it down, because after a while you realize you don't see the words on the page, you see the image of the experience in your mind.

Easy to see why this was a Newbery winner and is still a must read.

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A horse story? I groaned when I picked up this book. I've been trying to read the books assigned to my daughter, and this was next on the list. I've usually found animal stories to be boring and I've never found horses to be all that interesting. But I dutifully picked it up and gave it a read.

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"King of the Wind" is the story of the Godolphin Arabian, a horse from the 18th Century that is supposedly the great-grand-pappy of all the great racing horses. While I couldn't really get into the horse aspect of the story, it is a well written and interesting story. A sort of rags-to-riches tale. It's a Newberry medal winner and even I have to admit it's worth checking out.
--J.

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Great story of an Arabian race horse. I must have been 12 or so when I read it.