The Summer of the Bone Horses: Chapters 1–3

by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve
Young Eddie of Lakota heritage spends the summer with his grandparents on the Rosebud Reservation. To ease the ache of missing his parents, Eddie befriends the dog Fritz and the horse Buck — and discovers bone horses.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–12
15 words 18 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. merge
    join or combine
    It was a winding road down to the Dakota plains from where they lived in the Black Hills. At the bottom, the car merged onto the highway, which led across the flat, treeless land.
  2. prairie
    a treeless grassy plain
    There weren’t many houses and there were few cars as they drove through sagebrush and yucca growing on the prairie.
  3. reservation
    a district that is set aside for a particular purpose
    “There aren’t many jobs here. Most people our age have to move off the reservation to earn enough to support a family,” answered Dad.
  4. operation
    a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments
    “It’ll be fine. Dad will be better after the operation—he’ll be able to go fishing again.”
  5. stifle
    smother or suppress
    He felt a rough but warm hand on his shoulder, and a sob slipped out with tears he couldn’t stifle.
  6. trough
    a long narrow shallow receptacle
    Grandpa poured the water bucket into a trough inside the corral.
  7. kerosene
    a flammable hydrocarbon oil used as fuel
    Eddie and Grandpa sat at the small round table in the kitchen. Grandma filled bowls from the pan on her kerosene stove and placed them on the table.
  8. nudge
    push against gently
    Fritz snuggled next to Eddie. He nudged the boy’s arm for a pat.
  9. herd
    keep, move, or drive animals
    “Work all the time,” Grandpa said, “but I get paid work helping Joe Wright on his ranch two days a week. I ride Buck to herd the cattle. Kinda like when I was young, but of course I had a friskier horse then.”
  10. frisky
    playful like a lively kitten
    “Buck is all the horse you need now,” Grandma said. “He doesn’t need to be frisky to get you to the ranch.”
  11. bridle
    put on headgear for a horse
    “You’re tall enough now to fit the stirrups, and you’ll have time to learn by the time your folks come back. You will be able to do this, too,” Grandpa said, and showed Eddie how to bridle and saddle the horse.
  12. heave
    lift or elevate
    “I’ll see you this afternoon.” Grandpa heaved himself into the saddle and rode down the road.
  13. pang
    a sudden sharp feeling
    He felt that hurting pang again. He wished he had someone to play with, but the High Elks’ nearest neighbors were two miles away, and they had no kids.
  14. fetch
    go or come after and bring or take back
    Fritz raced to fetch and brought it back for the boy to throw again.
  15. dollop
    a soft lump or portion of something, especially food
    Grandma lifted a black iron skillet from the wall, put it on the stove, and added a dollop of lard with sliced onions and potatoes.
Created on Thu May 28 00:36:31 EDT 2026 (updated Wed Jun 17 18:03:43 EDT 2026)

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