I Cannot Draw a Horse

‘I Cannot Draw a Horse’ by Charise Mericle Harper is reminiscent of ‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’ in that the story was about drawing items to help serve a purpose and lead the characters to the next scene in the story.

The unseen narrator of the book draws a shape that looks a lot like a rock. From that rock, he draws a cat, but the cat desperately wants a horse. The narrator feels a horse is hard to draw, but he draws other items for his new cat friend, from a squirrel, to a dog, to a hill, a skateboard, and so much more. All the while, the cat is insistent. The cat wants a horse, and there are no two ways the narrator is getting past this tug of war he’s having with the cat.

When the narrator eventually tries to find a way to impress the cat, little does he know that it will turn into a whole new problem, as newly desired items come into play that the narrator isn’t sure what to do about.

The story employs an adorable way of writing, with the narrator and cat at odds, very much similar to how a child complains about what he wants and doesn’t always get it. “Cannot” is not a word that children (or cats, in the case of this book) want to hear, so the narrator does what he can, just as parents do, to appease their children (and the cat), but it doesn’t always work. Yet, the path it takes to get there, while fraught with upset over still not getting what one desires, also includes fun, excitement, and new ways of looking at things. This is a good lesson for any reader, and a fun read to boot.