Books with title Smoky: The Cow Horse by Will James

The 1927 Newbery Award, Smoky, the Cow Horse, is narrated in the cowboy vernacular of the 1920’s. It details the life of a horse in the western United States from his birth to his eventual decline. Smoky is born in the wild, captured and trained and becomes known as the best cowhorse around. However, Smoky is stolen by a horse thief, beaten repeatedly as punishment, and eventually attacks and kills the thief.When Smoky is eventually captured, his violent and aggressive demeanor prompts his use as a bucking bronco at a rodeo under the moniker of “The Cougar”. Years of performing take their toll on his body and spirit. He is renamed “Cloudy” and used as a riding horse and sold to an abusive man who starves him. During this time, he is reunited with his original owner and taken home. With careful treatment, Smoky recovers his former health and personality.

The 1927 Newbery Award, Smoky, the Cow Horse, is narrated in the cowboy vernacular of the 1920’s. It details the life of a horse in the western United States from his birth to his eventual decline. Smoky is born in the wild, captured and trained and becomes known as the best cowhorse around. However, Smoky is stolen by a horse thief, beaten repeatedly as punishment, and eventually attacks and kills the thief.When Smoky is eventually captured, his violent and aggressive demeanor prompts his use as a bucking bronco at a rodeo under the moniker of “The Cougar”. Years of performing take their toll on his body and spirit. He is renamed “Cloudy” and used as a riding horse and sold to an abusive man who starves him. During this time, he is reunited with his original owner and taken home. With careful treatment, Smoky recovers his former health and personality.Illustrated by the author and adapted to the screen three times as Smoky. Will James narrates the 1933 version.