The Good-Luck Horse

The Good-Luck Horse is a children's picture book illustrated by Plato Chan, adapted from a folk tale by his mother Chih-yi Chan. Plato Chan was the son of a Chinese diplomat and a child prodigy; he was twelve when he illustrated the book. The Good-Luck Horse was published by Whittlesey House in 1943. It was a 1944 Caldecott Medal honoree. This story has adventures of a horse that a boy had made out of paper and then changed into a real horse by a magician. He was named the good-luck horse because his fortunes fell and rose. Plato Chan and wife Anne Chu Chan are buried at the Family of G.A. Cu Unjieng Mausoleum Manila Chinese Cemetery.

Plot

The Good-Luck Horse is based on a Chinese folk-tale. It tells the story of a paper horse that was created by a kind magician. Since the horse was magical it was able to do anything it was told to do. The horse then became a problem because it was bringing bad luck to its owner until the horse ran away. When a war broke out the horse met another horse and together they were able to end the war, earning him the name of the good-luck horse.