Pony book

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Pony books, pony stories or pony fiction form a genre in children's literature of stories featuring children, teenagers, ponies and horses, and the learning of equestrian skills, especially at a pony club or riding school.

Development of genre

The novel Black Beauty, although about a horse and not a pony, is seen as a forerunner of pony book fiction.[3][2]

Pony books themselves began to appear in the late 1920s.[3] In 1928 British lifestyle magazine Country Life published Golden Gorse's The Young Rider which went to a second edition in 1931, and a third in 1935. In the preface to the third edition, the author wrote: "Since then the outlook on children and their ponies has changed very much for the better." She also noted an increase in equestrian pastimes: "Five children seem to be learning to ride today for one who was learning seven years ago."[3]

Critical commentary

The pony book genre is "frequently deemed idealistic,"[1] "cater[ing] for those typical fantasies of perfect friendship with an idealized companion."[ 1]

A critic noted in 1996 that the genre had "been relegated firmly to the sidelines".[ 1]

A 2009 article posed whether readers of pony-series fiction could do more than simply get another book in the series, much as a young collector of My Little Pony toys would be compelled to add to their collection.[2] The article noted an alternative view of the value of pony fiction; it introduces young readers to wider literature.[ 1]

Authors of pony books

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See also


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Thiel, Liz (January 2002). "The Dark Horse: Ruby Ferguson and the Jill Pony Stories". The Lion and the Unicorn 26 (1): 112–122. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kendrick, Jenny (Winter 2009). "Riders, Readers, Romance: A Short History of the Pony Story". Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures 1 (2): 183–202. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cridland, Clarissa (5 November 2010). "Pony Books: A Brief Introduction". collectingbooksandmagazines.com. Retrieved 18 February 2012. 

External links


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