Rosa Bonheur was born in 1822, in a time where women artists were not only rare, but in some cases against the law. Always having a deep love for animals and drawing, Rosa grew up trying to perfect her drawing skills while society constantly tried to force her to be educated in more ‘homely’ tasks. But sewing, cooking, and gardening never came naturally to her.

After her father, a painter, finally gave her the same resources and knowledge as her brothers, her artistic abilities grew exponentially. Despite the doubts and criticisms of those around her, with each year Rosa’s animal portraits became more realistic using live animals as inspiration. Sure, there were plenty of common domesticated animals around, but because she was female she was denied access to the market, and therefore struggled to create an accurate horse depiction, despite it being her favorite animal.

Despite all of this, Rosa fought through all the prejudices and became a world renowned painter, culminating in her even being given an audience by foreign royalty for her masterpiece ‘Horse Market.’

I had never even heard of Rosa Bonheur prior to reading this, and I am so happy to have learned of her! I would definitely recommend this book for younger readers, especially young female identifying children, as it shows how resilience in the face of societal norms can bring greatness.

Beautifully illustrated and historically accurate, No Horses in the House! was an unexpected gem.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Orca Book Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

At the time of this review, I'm a single 22yr old graduate student who really has no kids in her life to give this picture book to, but I requested it because I never heard of this artist before, and I loved horses when I was a child so that's a soft spot for me instantaneously.

For being a picture book, it gave a really beautiful concise story of this artist, Rosa Bonheur.
The illustrations in the picture book were fantastic to look at and it really is a beautifully done picture book.
I think it's simple enough for children to understand but even adults can learn from it. I also feel this would be perfect for elementary classrooms. It's educational as its own "mini memoir" about the artist.

No Horses in the House!
4.5 Stars

Rosa's story is so inspiring. As a female artist, I would have enjoyed learning about her tenacity, hard work, and how it paid off. She bucked tradition and plotted her own path and I can't help admiring that courage. Plus, I can't help rooting for an underdog(as I read). I'm disappointed Rosa's story got lost in history, but it's a story that needs to be heard. I loved the charming art style and muted color palette. This historical picture book has a great story and beautiful illustrations that match.

Thank you, Netgalley and Ora Publishing, for allowing me to enjoy this digital ARC for free. All options are my own.

This may be the most beautiful book I've ever seen.. The story is inspiring, Rosa Was a strong, ambitious young lady that broke so many barriers In the art world. I cannot stress how much I loved this book. The images accompanied the words so beautifully , it is perfection.

Thank you Netgalley for this wonderful A.R.C

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Little girls, who in a lot of places, now live in a world of (perhaps imperfect, but still) freedoms, need to know about girls who lived in a time when these freedoms were not in place-but still strove to break the mold. I want my daughter to know that she can do and be whatever she wants, and is not required to be anything that she does not want. And I want her to know that women fought for these rights and freedoms. Every time I can get my hands on a well-written book about a woman like this I drag it home and plop her down and make her listen to me read it. She's never complained. This book in particular tells a marvelous story about a little girl fighting for her dreams. Not a full grown woman-but a little girl. That's beyond awesome. Thanks for including photos of her work!

I absolutely LOVED this!

Horses have always been my favorite animals so I was already intrigued by the title and then reading more of the synopsis of the book had me even more interested. I love how so many books now are writing about historical women that were prominent and talented in their field but were overlooked by straight, white, male history.

The art of the book itself was fun and fitting and I am so excited to go and read more about Rosa Bonheur and recommend this book to so many kids!

My only complaint is that it was too short, which I understand for a children's book, but even then I think it could have been a little longer.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

This is a very cute picture book about an artist I have never heard of, but that’s ok. That’s how I learn, and what better way to learn, than from a picture book of all things.

This story is the early life of Rosa Bonheur, who wanted to draw in 19th century France. It was just one done for a girl to do so, so she dressed up as a boy, and got away with it, until she was told she needed a permit to cross dress. So she got one. This was all so she could go out and about and draw horses and dogs and cats.
Her work was quite popular at the time, but has since receded into the past.

The book shows several of her paintings, so you get a sense of what she was accomplishing.

Great story of an ambitious artist.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>