And the winner is...

-
Anne Bullen's A Pony to School.



I think Anne Bullen was supreme at catching the wish fulfilment element of pony books. Her ponies are not 100% as ponies are, but they certainly are as they canter through your dreams; breedy, kindly and oh so noble. Her Cascade in Wish for a Pony was my childhood dream of bliss, as was Daybreak in I Wanted a Pony.
I wonder if that's why she's won out over artists who are arguably technically more accomplished? I know that when I voted in the rounds coming up to the final that the emotional pull of several of the dustjackets won out over the technical expertise of others.

Lionel Edwards is one who I think lost out because of this. In the initial round of over 60 books, there were 13 of his titles, with Anne Bullen having 8 and Sam Savitt, Sheila Rose and Peter Biegel (a Lionel Edwards pupil with a very similar style) following on behind with 3 each. There's absolutely no element of fantasy whatsoever in Lionel Edwards' style: he gives us horses and ponies straight - although one might argue that his portrayal of the Exmoor Moorland Mousie, who turns into a rather Thoroughbred-influenced being shows an element of wish fulfilment. Nice breedy types please: none of your hairy ponies.

I still love his illustrations; and if I had to choose between Lionel Edwards and Anne Bullen for something to put up on my wall, I'd go for Lionel, out of sheer appreciation for something wonderful to look at, but for that emotional pull to the dreams of childhood, it's Anne every time.

Comments

Bovey Belle said…
I think you and I must be twins, seperated at birth! I've just come across your blog via my blog-hopping activities (how to start the week!) and we seem to share the same addiction to the horsey books of our youth. I too, could discuss the merits of the various artists who illustrated them, and whilst I love the lovely Araby horses that Anne Bullen drew, Lionel Edwards drew horses that I knew . . . if you get my meaning. I have framed illustrations of his from various horsey books going up my stairway, relics from the days when I would find the illustrations loose and for sale in Salisbury . . . Happy days. P.S. I still have all my old pony books too, but they are SO hard to find in hardback, even at car boot sales . . .
17 November 2008 at 07:37
Jane Badger said…
bovey belle - welcome! I entirely know what you mean about the difference in AB and LE's horses. A few weeks ago I went round Hay on Wye, and could have counted the amount of pony books for sale on one hand, which surprised me.
18 November 2008 at 08:49
Bovey Belle said…
It's a lean hunting ground there I must confess - unless they fly off the shelves (or never reach them because of internet listings?) In fact, we visit Hay quite regularly and several times recently I have - and as a bookaholic I hate to admit this - come away empty-handed!

I must confess I went off the main bookseller there (no name no pack drill) when I was offered £10 for my "horribly damaged" but desirable book (two tiny holes in spine) - the cheapest price for it I've ever seen was £150 and that was one which was literally fallen apart). Leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Of course, had I wanted to BUY that book, the price would have been megabucks. . .
24 November 2008 at 09:52
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rollkur and the blue tongue

-
I've been meaning to write about this all week, but reading the exclusive in Horse and Hound about the controversy tipped me over the edge. For my non-horsy readers, rollkur is a training/warming up technique used by some dressage riders. It basically involves riding the horse with its jaw pulled in virtually to its chest, in order to increase suppleness. Patrik Kittel , a Swedish competitor in Odense was videoed riding his horse in this way. If you watch the video , you'll see the horse's tongue hanging out - blue. It takes a while before the rider notices this. When he does, he stops, puts the horse's tongue back in, and carries on. There are two things which bother me about this. Firstly, I am fully aware large sections of the dressage world, and some of its brighest stars, consider rollkur perfectly ok, but the FEI guidelines state this practice should only be for short periods, allowing the horse to rest. Patrick Kittel apparently rode the horse for two hou
Read more

Archibald, don't eat the bedclothes

-
Image
My friend Louise sent me this picture today. It's from a children's book with the rather wince-making title For The Wee Ones. I thought, when I read that (because I read the message before I looked at the picture) that the picture was going to be a typical winsome production from the school of artists who think (or who are paid to think) that the child is a thing sent from God and a blissful thing. They had obviously never met a child, and certainly not mine. I should have known Louise better. The artist responsible for Archibald, don't eat the bedclothes slipped this one past the editors. Just look at the poor, broken Mother Rabbit. She knows she has not the faintest chance of being listened to, and poor thing, she is stooped in the way of a mother to whom this is just the lastest in a long line of horror; with nothing good to come. And Archibald is obviously the spawn of the Devil. Just look at those eyes. He'll have the bed after he's finished the bedclothes
Read more

Dick Sparrow - 40 Horse Hitch, and Neil Dimmock's 46 Percherons

-
Image
Here's a clip of Dick Sparrow driving 40 horses. It's an amazing sight, particularly when the shot changes to show the team from the rear and you get the great incongruity of modern American corporate architecture as a background to the wagon and horses. I love the anticipation in the video: the sense of something amazing being just round the corner is palpable. Thanks to Christina Wilsdon for telling me about this world record 46 Percheron hitch (alas just stills) but you get the idea.
Read more