Elisa Bialk

Jane Badger Books

Elisa Bialk

Ride ‘em Peggy!

Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1950, illus Paul Brown, 196 pp.

Peggy is horse made to the exclusion of everything else. Having riding lessons and a trip to a Colorado ranch
make her more obsessed, not less, so Peggy’s mother thinks up a plan to try and widen Peggy’s interests.

Wild Horse Island

Houghton Miffllin, Boston, 1951, illus Paul Brown, 201 pp.

All the wild horses have been removed from Wild Horse island to make room for domestic horses. Jim
hopes that the one wild mare who escaped the round up might return to the island again in winter, looking
for food.

Taffy’s Foal

Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1949, illus William Moyers

Nancy lives with her grandmother in Kentucky. Her horse, Taffy, is going to have a foal.
However, Nancy’s father wants her to come and live with him and his new wife in Chicago.
Nancy’s heart is still in Kentucky with Taffy, and she doesn’t fit in well at her new school. Her
father brings Taffy to Illinois. Taffy has her foal, a black colt, but she dies shortly after giving
birth. Nancy is ill, and her friends rally round to try and save the colt. Nancy refuses to ride
for the school at an event, though eventually realises that after all that has been done for her,
it might be an idea.

Elisa Bialk (1912-1990) was born and brought up in Chicago, Illinois, and was educated at the Northwestern University School of Journalism. She started writing early, and her articles had already appeared in newspapers and magazines by the time she was in high school. She married L Martin Krautter in 1934, and after her marriage, concentrated her efforts on short stories and plays. Her first published book was She published a range of horse fiction, including the lengthy Tizz series, aimed at the young reader. Besides the young readers, she wrote a range of unconnected books for the older reader.

The Tizz series features Tracy and her palomino pony Tizz. The family (and Tizz) are extraordinarily well travelled, and have a genius for riding in a parade in virtually every new location.

Many thanks to Lisa Catz for all her help with this section.

Finding the books: the Tizz series is usually fairly easy to find and not generally expensive. Finding those copies that were dustjacketed with their jackets can be tricky. Of the non-Tizz titles, Taffy’s Foal and The Colt of Cripple Creek are difficult to find. Wild Horse Island, being illustrated by Paul Brown, is expensive. None of Elisa Bialk’s titles were published in the UK.

Sources and links:

Terri A. Wear: Horse Stories, an Annotated Bibilography, Scarecrow Press, 1987

Elisa Bialk’s papers are held at the University of Oregon Libraries

Bibliography - horse books only

The Horse Called Pete

Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1948, illus William Moyers. 80 pp

Excerpt in Palomino and Other Horses, ed Wesley Dennis, 1950.

Davey and his grandfather visit a circus, and when they come back, they come with a paint trick riding horse
called Pete. What they don’t know is that Pete is going blind.

Jill’s Victory

World, 1952, illus Edward Shenton, 184 pp.

Jill gets involved with 4-H and learns by doing when she and her American Saddlebred gelding Victory spend
a year with her cousins Cissie and Jack.

The Colt of Cripple Creek

World, 1952, illus Edward Shenton, 180 pp.

Clint has a horse of his own, Gingerbread, and exciting places to play, including a secret cave. However, Clint’s
father is failing as a farmer, and decides to try gold mining instead. The family have to move, but leave Gingerbread
behind to be cared for by Ben, the ranch owner’s son. Clint mopes in his new home, and is upset when he sees
how attached Gingerbread is becoming to Ben. Gradually Clint learns to come to terms with his feelings.

Tizz and Company

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1958, illus Keith Mutchler, 95 pp.

Don teaches his sister Tracy’s pony to do tricks, and then thinks of a way of making money out of it.

Tizz is a Cow Pony

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1963, illus Susanna Suba, 93 pp.

Don, Tracy and Tizz visit their uncle on his ranch in Colorado. Don gets to ride a horse, Tracy learns to exist
away from home, and Tizz gets to herd cattle.

Tizz Takes a Trip

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1956, illus Hildegard Lehmann, 96 pp.

Tracy and Tizz help out Don with his paper round, and then the whole family go to grandmother’s house for
Thanksgiving.

Tizz

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1955, illus Dwight Mutchler, 95 pp.

Tracy is the new girl at school, and feels shy until she is given a honey-coloured pony by her grandmother called
Tizz.

Tizz Plays Santa Claus

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1957, illus Dwight Mutchler, 96 pp.

Tizz plays the part of the donkey in the school Christmas play, goes carol singing and is dressed up as
Santa Claus to visit a sick girl on Christmas Day.

Tizz on a Pack Trip

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1961, illus Susanne Suba, 94 pp.

While they’re staying at their uncle’s ranch, Don takes Tizz on a trip to the Glacier National Park. Tracy stays
on the ranch and learns to ride the big horse Frosty.

Tizz on a Trail Ride

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1966, illus Hildegard Lehmann, 94 pp.

Tracy, Tizz and Don go on a two week long trail ride from Corpus Christi to San Antonio, Texas.

Tizz at the Stampede

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1968, illus Hildegard Lehmann, 94 pp.

The Hills family visit the Edmonds family in Canada for the Calgary Stampede. Although Tracy does get to ride
Tizz in the parade, she finds it difficult to get on with tomboy Sheila Edmonds.

Tizz in Cactus Country

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1964, illus Hildegard Lehmann, 94 pp.

Don and Tracy have moved to Arizona. Don feels left out because he has no horse or friends, but then a
stray horse comes to visit Tizz.

Tizz on a Horse Farm

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1964, illus Hildegard Lehmann, 95 pp.

Don, Tracy and Tizz go to a California Thoroughbred farm. They see a foal being born, and see how the
young racehorses are trained.

Tizz in the Canadian Rockies

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1968, illus Hildegard Lehmann, 92 pp.

Tracy and Tizz go hiking in Canada with Don and her parents.

Tizz South of the Border

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1971, illus Hildegard Lehmann, 94 pp.

The Hills family and Tizz go to Mexico. While they’re on a riding trip, Tizz is taken by an old man who thinks
that Tizz is his old burro.

Tizz at the Fiesta

Children’s Press, Chicago, 1970, illus Hildegard Lehmann, 95 pp.

Tracy, Don and Tizz visit their grandparents in Mexico. Tracy hopes that the noise of the crowd and the muskets
doesn’t upset Tizz when they ride in the Fiesta.

SHORT STORIES & EXCERPTS

Palomino and Other Horses

World Publishing Company, 1950, ed & Illus Wesley Dennis-

Fourteen horse stories including an excerpt from The Horse Called Pete

Tizz series