Come on Seabiscuit!

by Ralph Moody

Book Overview

Master storyteller Ralph Moody tells the thrilling story of a plucky horse who refused to quit, a down-on-his-luck jockey who didn't let horrendous accidents keep him out of the saddle, and a taciturn trainer who brought out the best in both. During the Great Depression, Seabiscuit captured the hearts of Americans from the streets to the White House, winning more money than any horse at that time and shattering speed records across the country. In...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803282877
• ISBN13: 9780803282872
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Bison
• Length: 172 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Best Seabiscuit book. Excellent art too!

Best Seabiscuit book. Excellent art too! Love this exciting and moving story about the brave and brilliant Seabiscuit! I read this one as a kid, and I still enjoy it in my older age. It’s so inspiring, and it also depicts Seabiscuit and his relationship with his jockey and trainer, and even the pony and others along the way. The other horses in the story are real too, and can also be researched. This is a fantastic book.

The Little Horse Who Could!

When I was 13 years old, I became mad about thoroughbred racing. For three Saturdays in the spring of 1978, I was glued to the television set as Affirmed won the Triple Crown that year. After that exciting series, I pestered my father to take me out to Santa Anita or Hollywood Park whenever I could get away with it, and in my freshman English poetry journal (recently unearthed), 90% of my poems were written about horseracing. I remember going with my father to see Affirmed win the Hollywood Gold Cup in 1979 and so become the first horse in history to win more than $2 million in his lifetime. It was at that race, that I learned about the story of Seabiscuit who had won the inaugural running of The Cup in 1938. I discovered Ralph Moody's book in the library sometime soon after that memorable race, and I must have read it 20 times for all the events of that horse's life were still ingrained in my memory as I read through Laura Hillenbrand's book many years later. Moody's book focused more on the horse as a character and included details of Seabiscuit's earlier unsuccessful and unhappy career under famed trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons--a part of the history largely ignored by Hillenbrand. What I remember is a highly compelling, readable, and inspirational book: Seabiscuit and Affirmed became my leading sports heroes during that era. COME ON SEABISCUIT, though written for the older child or young adult, is a very readable book for adults as well, and due to its complementary history, would be an excellent companion volume to those who have discovered Seabiscuit through Laura Hillenbrand. I recently rediscovered and purchased the book for my own 9-year-old daughter. I am happy to see that this extraordinary book is now enjoying a resurgent and well-deserved popularity after all these years. Jeremy W. Forstadt

One of many but not the original

Ralph Moody's book is a warm tribute to the story of Seabiscuit. The illustrations are wonderful and it is written at the level for its intended audience. The original tale of Seabiscuit was written by B.K. Beckwith in 1940, his "saga of a great champion"; Moody realized the lessons inherent in this amazing horse--forgotten even by his time in the 1950s--and he recast the tale for a new audience, just the way Laura Hillenbrand did so successfully in our own time. Both Moody and Hillenbrand relied on Beckwith's book and I find the voices of all three to be excellent and complementary. Beckwith actually knew the horse and the people around him, so his book has the excitement of the time, but I recommend all of these books on Seabiscuit.

Rediscovered Old Book

With the current fame of Hillenbrand's book, I dug Moody's book out for my young nieces. As good as Hillenbrand's book is, Seabiscuit is somewhat lost in the story of the men around him (Howard, Smith, Pollard, Woolf). Moody's book is shorter and geared to a younger audience. Seabiscuit the horse shines in this story more than Seabiscuit the historical phenomenon. I read once that Moody knew about some of Pollard's secrets, like his vision problem, but he promised to keep the secrets as long as the main players were alive. Moody also emphasizes how good a racehorse Seabiscuit was, how the blood of Man O'War ran through the veins of his grandson even if Seabiscuit didn't look the part. Some of the newer stories talk about Seabiscuit's being lucky to win and being from the wrong side of the track, when he was actually blazingly fast (tied and broke a number of records, including in the match race with War Admiral) and had the bluest of Kentucky blood in his veins.But put the politics aside and read this wonderful story - like the old saying goes - it doesn't matter who trains them, and it doesn't really matter who rides them, and it certainly doesn't matter who owns them, in the end, a Thoroughbred will run as far and as fast as he was bred to run - and Seabiscuit ran true to his grandsire's heart.....and to his own.

An Outcast Becomes a Legend

The story of Seabiscuit is the story of an underdog who succeeds. Seabiscuit was a grandson of one of the greatest racehorses ever, Man O'War. In spite of Seabiscuit's pedigree, he was not regarded as a promising winner. Misunderstood and overlooked, he was overworked when very young and nearly faded into obscurity. An unlikely trio saw his potential and raised him to greatness. Charles Howard, a bicycle repairman turned wealthy automobile dealer and thoroughbred owner, purchased the horse. His trainer, Tom Smith, was a former frontiersman, who knew many secrets about training and doctoring horses. Red Pollard, a product of brush-league riding, became Seabiscuit's jockey. With the help of these three men, the outcast horse became a legendary winner on the track. "Come On Seabiscuit" is written mainly for children, but as others have said, it is a good read for any age. It is an inspirational story about love, trust, friendship, and tapping inner potential in the face of obstacles. Having read this book as a child, I'm thrilled to see it reprinted. If you like this book, another good one on the same topic is "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand. The Hillenbrand book is written for adults, and includes details about the rough realities of the racing world.

A good story for everyone

This short book seems to be intended for children, but really is suitable for everyone. Seabiscuit's story is amazing. He starts out as a rejected ugly outcast and ends up as a champion. This is a true Cinderella story, beautifully told by Mr. Moody. It is a shame that this book is so tough to come by. It has recently been reissued, so hopefully many more people will enjoy it.