Summer Pony (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) [Paperback]

Jean Slaughter Doty (Author), Ruth Sanderson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 22, 2008 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: A Stepping Stone Book(TM)

Ginny has always dreamed of having her very own pony, so when her parents agree to rent her a pony for the summer, Ginny is thrilled! But when Mokey arrives, she is shaggy, dirty, and half-starved–not at all what Ginny had in mind. Can Ginny still have the summer of her dreams?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jean Slaughter Doty wrote over a dozen novels about horses and ponies, including The Crumb and Can I Get There by Candlelight?. Her stories have been treasured by generations of riders.

Ruth Sanderson has illustrated books for children of all ages, including the first paperback covers for the entire Black Stallion series. She lives with her family in Ware, Massachusetts, and her favorite hobby is horseback riding.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (April 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037584709X
• ISBN-13: 978-0375847097
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.4 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Sports > General
  • #19 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Horses > Fiction
  • #56 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Horses

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars WARNING - NOT THE ORIGINAL TEXT, June 11, 2010

By 

Susan E. B. "Boston book lover" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Summer Pony (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) (Paperback)

Warning to those who are purchasing this book, (or the sequel Winter Pony), thinking that it is the original text....it isn't! It has been adapted for a younger reader, though that fact is not noted anywhere. Below is a comparison of the first couple of paragraphs of both editions, read, and BUYER BEWARE. If you want the originals, you'll have to get used hardcovers or the Scholastic paperbacks.

I find it utterly disgraceful that Random House has issued these books in altered form without ever so stating.

Summer Pony 2008

It was a gloomy gray day in March. A threat of late snow was in the air when the station wagon bumped to a stop by the shabby barn.

Ginny was shivering. She got out of the car and waited for her mother. Somehow, everything here seemed awful and unreal. This was the day her dreams were supposed to come true. She was going to have a pony, a pony of her own, for the whole summer ahead.

Plans had already been made with the owner of the Sweetbriar Pony Farm. She could choose any one of all the ponies in his stable. But something was wrong. They must have made a wrong turn off the main road. Nobody could keep ponies in a place like this.

She could feel the cold mud oozing through her sneakers. Her mother came up beside her. She wore a hopeful look on her face. She was trying to make the best of a bad situation. "Here we are, dear. I wonder where Mr. Dobbs can be?"

Summer Pony 1973

It was a miserable gray day in March, with a threat of late snow in the air, when the station wagon bumped to a stop by the shabby barn.

Ginny was shivering as she got out of the car and waited for her mother. Somehow, everything here seemed unpleasant and unreal. This was the day her dreams were supposed to come true. She was to have a pony, a pony of her own, for the whole summer ahead. Arrangements had already been made with the owner of the Sweetbriar Pony Farm for her to choose any one of all the ponies in his stable. But something was wrong. They must have made a wrong turn off the main road. Nobody could keep ponies in a place like this.

She could feel the cold mud oozing through her sneakers. Her mother came up beside her. She wore her let's-make-the-best-of-an-unpleasant-situation look on her face. "Here we are, dear. I wonder where Mr. Dobbs can be?"

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My inspiration for owning a horse, November 7, 2008

By 

katphoti "Sore No More - Gaited Horse Enthusiast" (Apache Junction, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Summer Pony (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) (Paperback)

This book is by far one of the best stories I've ever read about horses and horse care. I have my own copy and read it over and over as a child, and have even read it several times since as an adult. I have since experienced what the heroine, Ginny, experienced in my own life--owning a blue-eyed, spotted mare of my own from a man who didn't take good care of his horses. It was wonderful to experience in my life exactly what Ginny experienced. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a young girl in their life who is horse crazy--she'll learn valuable lessons about horse care, riding with a helmet, and how to show. Very accurate and well-written for being an older book. May we all find our special Mokey!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, March 19, 2009

By 

Mr. Real (NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Summer Pony (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) (Paperback)

Bought this for my six year old daughter. She read and thoroughly enjoyed this story and it's companion, "The Winter Pony".