Tony

Until the advent of delivery trucks, milk and eggs were brought to many American homes by horse and wagon. This is the late poet Galing’s homage to a delivery horse that meant the world to him. The tenderness of his words (“Tony was all white,/ large, sturdy,/ with wide gentle eyes/ and a ton of love”), combined with Stead’s exquisite portraits, allows readers entry into the world shared by boy and horse. Two-color spreads show glimpses of Tony’s life: Tom, the milk truck driver, heading for the barn while it’s still dark, the light above the door casting a golden glow over them; the blue dawn breaking as Tony clip-clips through the streets; Tony’s patient glance as he waits for Tom to return to the wagon. The milk is delivered “early in the morning, around three a.m.,” but Galing is always up to see Tony: “Wouldn’t miss Tony for the world,” he tells Tom. “He is such a wonderful horse, and so handsome.” Galing’s words testify to the pure love children feel for the first animals they come to know. Ages 3–6. Illustrator’s agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Feb.)