Birthday Pony [Hardcover]

Jessie Haas (Author), Margo Apple (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

Jane loves ponies. Luckily her Grandma Aggie has two. SweetPea is old and gentle. Jane learns how to ride on her. Popcorn -- who was born on the same day as Jane -- is young and energetic. Popcorn loves to jump and go fast, and Jane wants nothing more than to ride a pony who'll jump and go fast. Popcorn and Jane are perfect for each other.

Or are they? Both of them like to get their own way. And neither is prepared for what will happen when they start to ride together...

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4–Haas continues the story of characters introduced in Runaway Radish (Greenwillow, 2001). For Jane's birthday, Grandma Aggie buys back the stubborn pony she sold years before. Popcorn is still spoiled rotten but is lovable, and the 10-year-old adores him. She must learn to tame Popcorn in order to ride him, and with the help of her grandmother and a month at a summer riding camp she does. Sentences are short and prose style and vocabulary are accessible to youngsters who are making the transition from beginning readers to chapter books. This delightful story is enhanced by Apple's black-and-white pencil drawings, which are reminiscent of Wesley Dennis's illustrations in Marguerite Henry's books. A horse story perfect for younger readers.–Kristina Aaronson, Henniker Community School, NH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. Perfect for new readers and riders, this early chapter book, printed in large type on spacious pages, follows the friendship between Jane and Popcorn the pony, both born on the same day. Popcorn belongs to Jane's grandmother. Jane lives across the country until her family moves, bringing her closer to Grandma, just as Jane is ready to learn how to ride. In their first horse show, Popcorn turns out to be a bit too rowdy for an inexperienced rider like Jane, but joined by the ever-supportive Grandma, rider and pony head to equestrian camp for the summer to work on their skills. Haas contributes another winning story that's just right for horse-smitten new readers, especially those who know Haas' stories and will recognize familiar ponies, such as Radish, from previous tales. Apple's appealing drawings reinforce the action and show the warmth and determination that Jane and her pony share. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (July 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060573597
• ISBN-13: 978-0060573591
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,747,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must for the Young Rider, December 5, 2007

By 

Pamela Fuschetto "Amazon Fan" (Hackensack, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Birthday Pony (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for my seven-year-old niece who rides for Christmas.
In scanning it, I thought it was just the thing for a young girl very interested in horses. Had I more time I might have given it a read myself.

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm obsessed with this book!, July 21, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Birthday Pony (Library Binding)

I love Birthday Pony! It's a good book for horse lovers! It's about horses! The book gives you tips like sit deep in the saddle. You could use that for when you ride a horse! It's pretty easy for beginners to read! Especially girls in second grade would like this book. I think most girls would like this book if they like horses! By Erin, age 7

4.0 out of 5 stars neat horse story, January 29, 2005

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Birthday Pony (Library Binding)

Jane is the main character in the book. Her grandmother buys a pony that she had sold years ago and gives it to Jane for her birthday. The horse is named Popcorn and he's trouble. Jane has to send him to a camp to get trained so that she can ride him. Meanwhile Jane takes riding lessons to become a better rider. The horse learns to take commands and Jane learns to give them well. The are together again and even win a ribbon in a horse show.

The book has large print text. This is good for young readers.

I would recommend this book to girls who are interested in horses. Girls ages 7-10 will relate to the main character Jane well.