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When Wishes Were Horses
In the town of Dusty Gulch, not much is fixing to happen. But then Zeb wishes up a horse.
When he tells his ma, she thinks he’s fibbing. He starts to say, “I wish you’d believe me,” and a wild-eyed palomino appears in her boarding-house kitchen. It neighs and snorts, and tears the door off its hinges on its way out.
In the wake of Zeb’s wishes, horses take over the small town. A chestnut mare completely discombobulates Mrs. Vander Snooty as she steps off the stagecoach, and a pinto creates havoc in Mr. Goody’s General Store. But Zeb can’t stop wishing. Will Zeb save the town from all these horse-wishes? Boldly and hilariously illustrated, When Wishes Were Horses will tickle the funny bone of every cowboy and cowgirl.
When he tells his ma, she thinks he’s fibbing. He starts to say, “I wish you’d believe me,” and a wild-eyed palomino appears in her boarding-house kitchen. It neighs and snorts, and tears the door off its hinges on its way out.
In the wake of Zeb’s wishes, horses take over the small town. A chestnut mare completely discombobulates Mrs. Vander Snooty as she steps off the stagecoach, and a pinto creates havoc in Mr. Goody’s General Store. But Zeb can’t stop wishing. Will Zeb save the town from all these horse-wishes? Boldly and hilariously illustrated, When Wishes Were Horses will tickle the funny bone of every cowboy and cowgirl.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 2002
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 22, 2025
The story begins promisingly, but then becomes sad as fuck.
Zeb, you moron, you could've had everything -- but you wished it all away. So sad for the horses called up to existence, treated poorly, then abandoned.
Just like what 99% of all kids do when they grow up.
Hey, kids -- don't try to be special and follow your dreams at all. Sleep tight.
I would've given this shit story one star, but the full-color illustrations by Brad Sneed were fantastic. The horses were incredibly realistic, contrasting with the goofy, cartoony nature of everything else.
Zeb, you moron, you could've had everything -- but you wished it all away. So sad for the horses called up to existence, treated poorly, then abandoned.
Just like what 99% of all kids do when they grow up.
Hey, kids -- don't try to be special and follow your dreams at all. Sleep tight.
I would've given this shit story one star, but the full-color illustrations by Brad Sneed were fantastic. The horses were incredibly realistic, contrasting with the goofy, cartoony nature of everything else.
January 4, 2020
A little boy in an old west town sees a fancy cowboy ride by on his beautiful horse and wishes he could have a horse too. POOF! A horse appears. Throughout the day as he travels through town and to home, everytime he makes a wish... POOF! A horse appears. But having all these horses around turns out to be a bit of a disaster.
Great illustrations!
Great illustrations!
August 25, 2017
Great vocabulary!
March 24, 2022
Interesting book with great illustrations. Be careful what you wish for.
February 25, 2015
When Wishes Were Horses by Sharon Hart Addy is a humorous book that children will enjoy. It follows Zeb, a young cowboy, who is doing chores on a hot summer day. A simple wish to get out of the heat starts our adventure off as Zeb and the result of his wishes run around town. This text through its funny narration and beautiful pictures will take children on a ride through the wild west, while teaching that wishes coming true arn't always for the best.
I would love to use this book in an elementary classroom. The students would love to hear Zeb's grand adventure and the fact it contains humor, horses, wishes, and likable characters will be sure to catch the students attention. If I was using this as a enrichment read aloud it could be used for younger elementary level. For a curricular read aloud though, I would focus on fourth or fifth graders due to level of vocabulary. Some examples of the strong vocabulary include, vexation, discombobulating, proprietor, and mannequin. This would also be useful for students that were learning science or social study themes. There are several types of horses used and the book would help students see the cultural and social difference from current days to days of the past.
I would love to use this book in an elementary classroom. The students would love to hear Zeb's grand adventure and the fact it contains humor, horses, wishes, and likable characters will be sure to catch the students attention. If I was using this as a enrichment read aloud it could be used for younger elementary level. For a curricular read aloud though, I would focus on fourth or fifth graders due to level of vocabulary. Some examples of the strong vocabulary include, vexation, discombobulating, proprietor, and mannequin. This would also be useful for students that were learning science or social study themes. There are several types of horses used and the book would help students see the cultural and social difference from current days to days of the past.
September 20, 2009
When Zeb 'wishes' he had a horse to help carry his sack of flour home, he got a surprise, a horse. The next time he made a wish, he got another horse, then another for everytime he said 'I wish' even if he never said what he really wished for. After the first couple, he could see this was going to be a problem, horses appearing in the general store, in his ma's kitchen, but would he be able wear out his wishes?
Fun story for anyone who always has a lot of wishes, the moral would be that too much of anything can be bad. This book has great pictures even for the youngest of the family, the loads of horses and 'old west' style cowboys make you want to read with a twang. There is a couple of words that may need to be explained to younger kids, like the types of horses and "discombobulating" is always fun to say especially when used with a name like Mrs. Vander Snooty. Mostly just a fun story. My youngest liked it when Zeb tried to wear out his wishes and got a bunch of horses that pawed the ground.
Fun story for anyone who always has a lot of wishes, the moral would be that too much of anything can be bad. This book has great pictures even for the youngest of the family, the loads of horses and 'old west' style cowboys make you want to read with a twang. There is a couple of words that may need to be explained to younger kids, like the types of horses and "discombobulating" is always fun to say especially when used with a name like Mrs. Vander Snooty. Mostly just a fun story. My youngest liked it when Zeb tried to wear out his wishes and got a bunch of horses that pawed the ground.
November 28, 2013
My five-year-old son picked this book out from the library this week.
The concept of this book was great; so great, in fact that the execution should have been so much better. Humor would have improved this book. So would have showing and not telling. As it was, it felt too wordy and too "flat" of a story.
Some of the illustrations in this book were spectacular, especially the horses. My biggest complaint is that Zeb, the protagonist, did not consistently look the same in every illustration. In some illustrations, he looked like a young boy of maybe ten, in others, an adolescent of about thirteen, and in others, a young man around sixteen of age. That inconsistency made it difficult for my son to spot Zeb in the illustrations. And to connect with him.
The concept of this book was great; so great, in fact that the execution should have been so much better. Humor would have improved this book. So would have showing and not telling. As it was, it felt too wordy and too "flat" of a story.
Some of the illustrations in this book were spectacular, especially the horses. My biggest complaint is that Zeb, the protagonist, did not consistently look the same in every illustration. In some illustrations, he looked like a young boy of maybe ten, in others, an adolescent of about thirteen, and in others, a young man around sixteen of age. That inconsistency made it difficult for my son to spot Zeb in the illustrations. And to connect with him.
January 10, 2009
Set in the Old West, a boy named Zeb wishes for a horse. The wish is granted by a passing cowboy, but it comes with one condition (based on the old saying, “If wishes were horses”: every time Zeb makes a wish, another horse appears wherever he is, be it in the street or inside a house, until there’s a stampede of horses. Only when Zeb realizes that he makes too many wishes and finally wishes that his wishes were only wishes is the spell broken. The illustrations of the characters’ reactions as well as the horses’ expressions add to the story.
July 9, 2012
I liked this one more than my kids did. I think they've only wanted it once since we got it from the library. I'm not sure if they caught on when we read it to the fact that he starts getting a horse every time he makes a wish. I thought it was fun and especially enjoyable that they were different breeds every time. And I thought the pictures were so fun and western and playful (as in, I love the twinkle in the cowboy's eye).
May 7, 2009
A boy wishes for a horse in the Old West, and a cowboy grants his wish... sort of. Every time the boy says "I wish," a horse appears.
October 7, 2009
My 5 year old son loves this book. He loves horses and this is one of his favorite books. Not too long not too short.
August 24, 2015
The pictures were super--there are far too few picture books with cowboys, horses, and old West themes. The story was not great though.
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January 8, 2013Wild West setting
April 29, 2013
I liked how the book gave a warning against wishes. It was a fun book but still made the reader think. I liked the illustrations. They are pleasing to the eye.
June 7, 2013
This is a good tall tale. I'm not sure if it is based on any other story, but it is good. Humor is good too.
June 2, 2015
Be careful what you wish for. The illustrations are great. Makes you think twice about saying, "I Wish" for anything!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews