New Zealand children's author Joy Cowley and American illustrator Layne Johnson team up in this lovely picture-book tribute to the wild horses of the American West in the late 20th century. Opening with a depiction of a fiery mare who attempts to lead her herd to safety, when government forces coral them with helicopters, the narrative follows the story of these beautiful equine creatures, who are captured and imprisoned. Considered 'useless' by many, they are slated for destruction until a retired cowboy steps in, creating a wild horse sanctuary in South Dakota's Black Hills. Here the horses find a home, including the mare, whose fire has all but gone out. Fortunately, the cowboy isn't ready to give up on her, and nurses her back to health...

I initially sought out Where Horses Run Free: A Dream for the American Mustang because it was illustrated by Layne Johnson, whose depiction of the beauty of the equine form in Race the Wild Wind: A Story of the Sable Island Horses so impressed me, that I wanted to see more of his work. While the illustrations here certainly lived up to my expectations - they were absolutely gorgeous! - I also enjoyed the story itself, and was interested to learn that it is based on the real-life tale of Dayton O. Hyde, a rancher, self-taught naturalist and author who opened the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in 1988. After finishing this book, I was interested to learn more about Dayton, whose story is briefly summarized on this page of the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary's website. I think perhaps I will track down one of his memoirs or works of natural history. I do wish that Cowley had included a factual afterword about Dayton, or that someone would write a picture-book biography of him, but leaving that aside, I would recommend this one to young horse and nature lovers. It could pair nicely with other picture-books about wild horse herds, from Sandra Markle's Race the Wild Wind: A Story of the Sable Island Horses to Jim Arnosky's Wild Ponies. ( )

A tender, true story about a wild horse and the cowboy who rescues the herd. "She is the lead mare of a herd of wild horses that run the range. When people come to capture them, she leads the herd in a run for safety. But trucks and helicopters drive the horses into pens. Imprisoned behind barbed wire, the fire in the mare's heart is reduced to embers. Her spirit is almost broken--until a cowboy comes and promises to set the horses free." Young children empathize easily with the lead mare and with the cowboy's kindness toward animals. ( )