Customer Reviews

Rain Cloud Pony

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I like to read children's works from time to time. I have friends who write children's fiction and I like to see what the current trends are. About twelve years ago I saw this title in a public library and since I like horse fiction for children, I read it.

Pat, a preteen girl, wants very badly to ride horses but is too poor for lessons. She locates a young classmate who owns a pony not because she wants it, but because her parents want to distract her attention from boys. The girl makes arrangements with Pat to wear her riding clothes and ride her pony while she has clandestine appointments with her boyfriend. For a while, the parents are fooled because they see Pat and the pony from far across a pasture.

The ending is especially depressing, especially for any child who loves to ride. One comes away with the impression that Pat just gives up and accepts her fate... her family is too poor and out of control, and that is that. For that reason alone, the story is a real bomb which deserves to remain out of print.

This giving up and accepting misery is not the sort of attitude I would want any child in my family to have. A child selecting this book to buy would do so because they see a pony on the cover, but they will be sadly disappointed by the turn the story takes.