About the author
Hans Peterson (1922–2022) was a prolific Swedish author of children’s books. He wrote a series about a boy called Magnus, of which Magnus and the Wagon Horse is one title. In its original Swedish incarnation, Magnus, Mattias och Mari, it won the Nils Holgersson Plaque in 1958. Both Peterson’s horse stories appear to involve working horses.
Finding the books:
Easy to find.
Links and sources
Hans Peterson on Wikipedia
Terri Wear: Horse Stories: An Annotated Bibliography
Bibliography (horse books only)
Magnus and the Wagon Horse
Pantheon, New York,1961, 138 pp, trans Marianne Turner, illus Ilon Wikland
Originally published as Magnus, Mattias och Mari, 1957
Magnus makes friends with Mr Londberg, who has a wagon horse called Mary. Magnus
and Matthew try to help Mr Londberg when he’s taken into hospital, and Mary’s stable is threatened with demolition.
Erik and the Christmas Horse
Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co, New York, 1969, 32 pp, trans Christine Hyatt, illus Ilon Wikland.
Originally published as Magnus, Lindberg och hästen Mari, Stockholm:
Rabén & Sjögren, 1968
Burke, London, 1969, 32 pp, trans Christine Hyatt
Erik is relieved to discover that old Mr Lindberg and his cart-horse do have a home and a place to spend Christmas.
