A young groom on her first day connects with a horse that so wants to be a champion showjumper – but fears being too tiny. When taken to the event where the biggest and strongest from the stables is competing, injury rules that one out – so can our plucky pair take the slot? You bet they can – for both horse and girl practise breathing exercises for nerves and determination, and the girl has given the horse a vision board, which the horse has been adding motivation to, to visualise success. You better believe it has!

This is pure cockamamie, then – the animal succeeding to surpass any doubts through breathing with alternating nostrils, and manifesting success via pictures and platitudes tacked to a board. I kind of think horses should stick to the more usual kind of tacking. But who is to say that horse-loving children should not learn the same lessons as this heroic horse? Just because it learns from a tortoise, why should we not learn from a fictional equine? This is an honest presentation of current thinking about changing our mood ready to try our best, and prepping for something we have doubted we could do.

As such it is potentially very valuable, and right on the money for the right reader. For me, unfortunately, I felt it just too – well, bonkers. The art is certainly strong enough to sell the premise, for one – but I'm stuck marking this star-wise midway through what I really think of it, and the success it would have with the intended audience member.

This book is way too long and incredibly repetitive. In the beginning, it felt like a book about a horse who’s a little scared to grow up and achieve their dreams, but by the time they start talking about vision boards, manifestation, anxiety, and calming yourself down , you realize that this book is more the adult author trying to tell people what works for her and how to get it to work for them. And while this is a picture book, it feels more geared towards adults than kids. Most kids I know, would not make it to the end of the story.

Thank you Rushy Marsh Press for allowing me to read and review Tinkerbell and the Magic of Rushy Marsh Farm by Monica McCourt on NetGalley.

Published: 08/19/25

Stars: 3.5

Positive and uplifting. I found the illustrations life-like. They were so well done.

The story is encouraging. The emotions expressed were natural.

Four star rating is for the story and illustrations. I am not comfortable rating or recommending the techniques for breathing and the advice for children.

A sweet story for budding horse girls, but ultimately this feels a little light on details and depth. It’s hard to see this one appealing to kids other than those who are already very into horses.

A very inspiring story about overcoming your fears and how to deal with anxiety/pressure; with breathing techniques implemented into the story and also shared in detailed in the back matter. I really liked the friendship between Teddy and Tinkerbell, and all the many farm animals. The art is expressive and soft and a great match to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book tells the story of Tinkerbelle and her rider. It is a conventional story of a horse and girl going to a show with an underlay of mindfulness techniques. Children who dream of riding in shows will enjoy this one. The illustrations are delightful, the story is sweet and the mindfulness suggestions may help young riders who feel a tad nervous.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Rushy Marsh Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

I love this book! The first thing I will say is the tips and tricks that the author provides readers with are AMAZING. I've never read a kids' book that teaches readers about vision boards before, so that earned this story a lot of points in my book. Additionally, the author showed readers a super easy breathing technique to help them calm down when they are nervous, which is always a great skill for anyone to have.
The way the author wrote this story made Tinkerbell a wildly relatable character, making for a more meaningful reading experience. What's better is readers get to see a lot of change in Tinkerbell's character, which allows them to see what change looks like and how it IS possible.
To finish off this review, I do have one little note to make about the title. The title feels a bit long (and a mouthful), and doesn't match the story as well as it could. I think shortening the title and having it hint at what the story is about would be beneficial.
That small detail aside, I absolutely adored this book and I know that it will be so useful and important to many other readers. Bravo!!

In Tinkerbell and the Magic of Rushy Marsh Farm, we join Tinkerbell and her rider, a girl name Teddy, as they get to know Rushy Marsh Farm and use anxiety management and goal-setting techniques to achieve their dream of showjumping together.

The digitally-created art in this book comes off as a little more rough around the edges within the book itself than it appears on the cover; in a couple of pages Tinkerbell looks slightly stretched out, and there is a amateur feel to the shading and overall lack of value in the images. Aside from that criticism, the art fits the narrative well, and Tinkerbell and Teddy are both depicted with engaging expressions that draw the reader in.

In terms of narrative, I would say that the core of this book is about teaching anxiety management strategies, such as different breathing exercises, and goal-setting strategies, such as creating a vision board. These all occur within the context of Tinkerbell and Teddy each learning to overcome their anxiety and participate in a showjumping event, but dedicated equestrians will notice some unrealistic elements of that story. For example, the book starts with Teddy and Tinkerbell as new arrivals at Rushy Marsh Farm, and implies that they do not have previous jumping experience. A few short pages later they are filling in for another horse from the farm at a showjumping event (and flying over a course of upright jumps.) Not necessarily a condemnation as I know some liberties must be taken for storytelling's sake, but it makes it feel more like a book about the anxiety management than the riding.

Other elements of the book are clearly important to the world of Rushy Marsh Farm (the real one that exists) but feel like they are introduced and then left behind, such as the large cast of (implied) rescue animals that are introduced and celebrated for their differences that the beginning of the book, but do not play much of a role after that.

My first thought is to recommend this book to young equestrians who have dreams of advancing their riding, but who must work through anxiety to do so, but I wonder of the lack of realism would put them off. Perhaps young young equestrians, or young children who aspire to become equestrians, would benefit from the techniques without being bothered by the more fantastical aspect.

(BLUF: Gorgeous illustrations, wonderful message, and real life techniques for anxiety management plus visualization and told to overcome self doubt!)

Overall: 5🌟
Plot/Lesson: 4📍
Illustrations: 5🖌️

(Full review to come!)

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for a review. We all really enjoyed this story! It was super engaging and worked in some practical techniques to stay calm when you’re nervous without taking away from the story. My daughter absolutely loved it and is playing “Tinkerbell and Teddy” as I type this. 🩷

My 4 year old says “5 stars! I liked the ending jump when she was a champion.”

Cute story with a great message! Tinkerbell (the horse) and Teddy (the groom) have big dreams, but they are both new to Rushy Marsh Farm and lack the confidence to achieve their goals. The other animals help Tinkerbell to realize she can do it!

Lack of confidence, negative self talk, acceptance, being different, vision board, trying new things, manifesting, breathing techniques

"I can do it. I am brave. I am capable"