A slim novel for young readers that deftly imagines the love of a boy for his pony.
This children’s novel looks at how human-animal relationships sometimes defy logic.
In 1948, young Jed’s rancher employer buys a sick, starving pony named Dusty, and Jed falls in love with it almost immediately. Mr. Ural plans to sell the pony after he nurses it back to health, but that doesn’t stop Jed from developing a deep friendship with it. Jed takes odd jobs at Mr. Ural’s farm and other places in Canton, Ohio, to earn money to buy Dusty before he’s put up for auction at the county fair. But the day before the auction, Jed comes up short: He has only $500, and Mr. Ural expects to get at least $600 for the pony. After almost giving in to despair, Jed attends the auction in the hope that his $500 will be enough, only to find himself engaged in a tight bidding war that surpasses his budget. Soon he and his friend Tommy come up with a unique solution to the difficult problem. This short chapter book, full of charming black-and-white illustrations, may leave some readers confused about its setting and time period, which aren’t clarified immediately. But the story’s theme—about the friendship a child can form with an animal, even if that animal isn’t his—will be easy for young readers to identify with. Westover is surprisingly adept at capturing a young boy’s point of view, and her glossary and discussion topics make this book suitable for reading groups or classrooms. Although the plot is somewhat slight, with little action until the intense auction scene, there’s a lot for students to discuss here, and some moments that adults will appreciate as well.
A slim novel for young readers that deftly imagines the love of a boy for his pony.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2013
ISBN: 978-1481123037
Page Count: 68
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
