" In order to look at each student through fresh and positive eyes, we read aloud the book What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? (1998) by Richard Van Camp.
Van Camp is a member of the Dogrib nation of the Northwest Territories of Canada, and an emerging voice in the Native American literary movement. He wrote this children's book in order to understand horses, since his people are not horse people and he's always been curious to learn more about them. The format of his book is simple: he asks different people, "What's the most beautiful thing you know about horses?" He receives responses such as: "The most beautiful thing about horses is that they always find their way home" and "I love their breath. You can feel their breath move through their chest. They stare at you as they breathe. Their soul comes right out.""