PBOTD 29th August: Jean Slaughter Doty - Summer Pony

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I do like the review Pony Book Chronicles does of this book: "without a few useful coincidences, the heroes of pony books would be stuck doing what we did as kids - reading library books on the porch while wishing we had ponies." There are some fairly major coincidences in this book in order to make the plot work, but you can forgive it that because the portrayal of girl, and of unsatisfactory pony, is so real. 


Ginny's parents know nothing about horses whatsoever, and Ginny's own  knowledge is basic, to say the least. She rents a pony for the summer, and when the book opens she's desperately looking forward to the pony's arrival. But the pony she chose, Mokey, is thin, and frankly, a disappointment.

As the summer progresses, the whole family learns how to cope. Summer Pony is one of those pony books that manages to impart its informational load without clobbering you around the head with it. It's a lovely read, and beautifully illustrated by Sam Savitt. 

If you want to buy a copy of the book and want the original text: beware. Don't buy a copy of the most recent edition, pictured below. It's a simplified and shortened version for the unconfident reader.



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Comments

Christina Wilsdon said…
Yeah...if realistic pony books were written, they would all be about kids sitting on porches reading pony books instead of actually acquiring ponies, just like the kids reading them...rather hopeless :) Even the Jill books start with quite a bit of lucky-ducky stuff! But you forgive it if it's done well! I didn't discover Doty's books til I was all grown-up--they're really good.
29 August 2014 at 16:23
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