Harry the horse seems to have it all. He lives in a beautiful place, is good-looking and his cheerful nature means he is loved by every one of his many friends. Harry’s life is simple, joyful and trouble-free.
Well, most of the time, anyway! Harry’s best friend, Hank, has a bad habit of getting up to no good. He is a terrible prankster, always thinking up new ways to play jokes on others. Now, although Hank is great fun to be around, Harry notices that sometimes his pranks go too far and, instead of causing laughter, they cause hurt. The worst part about Hank’s pranks for Harry is that Hank also tells great big fibs to get himself out of trouble.
Because Harry spends so much time with Hank, he finds himself getting involved in Hank’s pranks. He knows that what Hank is doing is wrong…but he doesn’t know what to do about it. When he tries talking to Hank about what he believes, his advice falls on deaf ears. Not only does Hank not seem to take life seriously at all, but he also doesn’t seem to understand that what he sees as harmless fun is no fun at all for others! Oh, and then there’s the fibbing part.
Harry is at a loss of what to do and asks his father for help. His dad gives him some valuable advice on how to handle his wayward friend. The next time Hank does something naughty, Harry does something he’s never done before. Instead of keeping quiet and just wishing his friend could change his wicked ways, he finds his voice and speaks up!
What will happen next? Will Hank still want to be Harry’s friend? Will he ever learn the difference between harmless fun and harmful pranks? And most importantly, will he ever start telling the truth? Read on to find out…
Most of us have that “fun friend” who regularly gets us into trouble, right? Harry the Honest Horse is a delightful story which addresses important concepts such as not letting a joke go too far, and the value of being a champion for the truth, no matter how hard it may be sometimes. The fun-loving friends in the story are relatable to young readers, who will no doubt empathise with Harry when faced with the difficult decision of keeping his loyalty to a good friend versus standing up for what he knows is right. An all-round happy ending confirms to the young reader that honesty is always the best policy!
