Horses Wild and Tame by Iris Volant is a truly captivating resource for KS2 children. The book offers such a lot of information on the topic, starting from an introduction into animal and continuing to investigate how humans have built a relationship with these magnificent beasts over thousands of years. From the wild horses of Asia and Europe to legendary horses in fiction, there is so much to inspire further research and discussion. Did you know that, during the Battle of Haldghati, Mughal soldiers fitted fake trunks to their war horses? This was done to confuse the rival soldiers who came into battle riding enormous elephants.

The illustration style gives the book a timeless feel and engages children who may not usually have an interest in these fascinating animals as well as appealing to horse lovers. The double-page spread on ‘Seabiscuit’ is particularly beautiful and would be an amazing hook for some creative writing or PSHE sessions on hope and perseverance.

As a non-fiction text, the style of writing is easy to access and offers a really clear model for scaffolding further independent classroom writing. With links to horses in art, science, sport and mythology, the book truly is a high-quality cross-curricular resource.