A Horse in the House and Other Strange but True Animal Stories

Amazing real-life tales of animals — combined with delightfully surreal illustrations — make for a captivating book of a different stripe.

Whoever heard of a horse who lived in a house (while its owners lived next door)? Or two donkeys who had a marriage feast? Or an official spying cat who was wired for sound? These stories and many more — all quite strange, all very true — come from newspaper reports around the world. With paintings by Kathy Osborn hinting at magic realism and journalist Gail Ablow’s wonderfully witty text, this fascinating collection has much to say about creatures ranging from hippos to humans, who may in fact be the strangest animals of all. Back matter includes an author’s note.Gail Ablow is an award-winning broadcast journalist who has produced documentaries, news, and interviews for PBS, CNN, ABC, and other networks. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Kathy Osborn has illustrated several children's books and one novel for adults. She began collecting strange but true newspaper stories about animals in 1999 and wanted to illustrate them to satisfy her curiosity. Kathy lives in Brooklyn, New York.