The Water Horse Paperback – June 13, 2000

Do you know what a “kelpie” is? It is 1930, and eight year old Kirstie and her little brother Angus live with their parents and their grandfather, whom they call Grumble, on the coast of Scotland. One day in March, while their merchant seaman father is away in quiet, tropical waters, there is a great storm, and afterwards, while they are beachcombing, Kirstie finds an egg the size of a cookie tin on the shore. The children take it home and put it in the bathtub to see if it will hatch. It does. And what do you suppose it is? It’s a kelpie, a sea monster, a Water Horse. Eventually Mother, Grumble, and even Father when he returns home all find out about the creature. They decide to call it Crusoe. As it grows, what can they do with it? There is the fish pond, but nearby are enemies such as otters and herons, and the pond freezes in winter. Then there is the small lochan close to their house, but a lot of traffic goes by, and the family is afraid that someone will spot Crusoe, who continues to grow bigger and bigger. Where do you think that he ends up? Dick King-Smith is best known as award-winning author of Babe: The Gallant Pig. We have read and reviewed some of his other books, such as Harry’s Mad, The School Mouse, and Mr. Ape. We watched the 2007 film The Water Horse directed by Jay Russell with screenplay written by Robert Nelson Jacobs, and starring Alex Etel, recently as our family video. It was so intriguing that when I saw that the movie was based on a Dick King-Smith children's novel, I wanted to read the book. Although significant differences exist between the film and the novel, there is no content in either which parents need be concerned about. It is not only a sweet, charming story that children seem to enjoy greatly but is also a worthwhile adventure for readers of all ages as an imaginative explanation for a very well known legend.

Very simple plot about a family who found an egg of a giant water horse. Once it is hatched, they take care of the water horse until it grows to a good length. This family has good and strong bond through the water horse, and it makes me happy to read through.

I read this story with my kids, it was a fun story. We enjoyed reading it. I think it is a good bedtime story for the family.

Love the movie, just had to get the book for my book collection. Book arrived in excellent condition.

So I am sure the story itself is wonderful, but this book is a LOT smaller than I expected. (I might have not read the whole description). I was under the impression this book was a real book, not an elementary school book. The girl I bought it for enjoyed it, but I wish it took her longer to read it.UPDATE - Sept 2012 (original written in Feb 2009): I amended my review from 2 to 4 stars because I agree I should have read the page count, BUT the girl I bought this for (she was in 4th grade at the time) also commented on the length of the story. If you are looking for a book for a book worm, this might not be the one you want to purchase.

I bought this book for my 7 year old niece. She has already read the first 5 chapters and she really enjoys the story! She was somewhat disappointed that the illustrations were not in color, but I explained to her that this was just how the book was printed. Her interest in it now has really peaked since I took her to see the movie that the book is based on! I would recommend this reading for ALL children!!!!!

I bought the book to go with the movie, which I recently watched on TV. It is for a present for a 10 year old. The print is rather large, so I was a little worried that it may be for a younger child, but the reviews convinced me, that it will be OK. The movie is really good, I'm sure he will love it.

My 7 year old great grandson watched the movie and he and my granddaughter read the book together. They read and had conversation about the detail the book went into. They loved it.