The Colt from Old Regret by Dianne Wolfer illustrated by Erica Wagner

"The Colt from Old Regret" is part of the larger narrative poem "The Man from Snowy River," written by Australian poet Banjo Paterson in 1890. The poem captures the spirit of the Australian bush and the culture of horse riding. It begins with the news that a valuable colt has escaped and joined the wild bush horses, prompting a gathering of expert riders to recapture it. The poem highlights themes of bravery, skill, and the bond between horse and rider.

Dianne Wolfer has based her book on this famous Australian poem. Every part of the book design is so special - the cover will catch your eye, the end papers are perfect, the collage illustrations are rich and full of movement. 

Think about these sentences: "Alpine mint scents the air." "Birds startle. He trembles. The sky is a flurry of wings."  The mountain's craggy brow is close."  "A branding iron sears the air."

Along with the narrative created by Dianne Wolfer the full poem is included at the back of the book over several pages along with details about Banjo Paterson, bush poetry, brumbies, who was the man from snowy river and an author's note.

There was movement at the station, for the word has passed around
That the colt from old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses—he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stock-horse snuffs the battle with delight.

The book is sumptuously illustrated with Wagner’s water colour painting and collage. The colours beautifully capture the light of the Australian bush and movement of the brumbies. Reading Time

An engrossing and suspenseful story that has the added bonus of connecting a young child with an iconic Australian poem. Storylinks

It doesn’t rewrite the poem, but allows Colt’s voice to be heard, and merely shows a different perspective of the event. It’s written in prose or free verse, so it can be read as a story or a poem, and feels like it has the same rhythm as the original poem. The Book Muse

The Colt from Old Regret would be a beautiful present to gift to a friend living away from Australia or as a keep-sake gift for a student graduating from High School. Here are the teachers notes. I am certain this book will be a CBCA 2026 notable title.

All of us in the children's literature community loved the illustrations in this first book by Erica Wagner. 

Hope is the Thing

Dianne Wolfer is an award-winning author of 25 books, including the acclaimed Light series, The Dog with Seven Names and The Last Light Horse. Most recently, Diane’s book Scout and the Rescue Dogs won the Children’s Book of the Year at the Western Australian Premier’s Literary Awards. Dianne completed PhD research into anthropomorphism at UWA and loves talking about animal characters in children’s literature.