The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton (New York, Arthur A. Levine Books) $20
Princess Pinecone wants a horse for her birthday, but not just any horse.
It must be a big, strong, fast horse befitting her warrior status. In Beaton's hilarious picture book the king and queen aim to please their warrior daughter, but fail miserably to produce anything like the hoped-for present. The present, an epic fail, turns out to be a short and extremely small and pudgy pony. But "you can't say no to a birthday present" so Princess P tries to make the best of it.
The day of the scheduled battle arrives, tickets are sold and in the midst of crazy and silly mayhem the hitherto untrainable pony reveals a hidden and unexpected talent. A totally surprised princess realizes her pony is the best present ever when the pair are awarded the Most Valuable Warriors.
There are lots of laughs in both the text and illustrations. The pony (which incidentally farts a lot) is of the adorable stuffed-toy variety compared with the supercilious steeds ridden by the adult warriors. The warriors are a motley crew who wage battle with dodge balls, spitballs and hairballs when they aren't beating their chests and hurling other people around.
The cartoonlike illustrative style exaggerates the goofiness and provides lots of humorous details for readers to enjoy.
Young admirers of both ponies and princesses will love this book and adult readers will appreciate the fact that Princess P is a great role model.
Fran Ashdown was the children's librarian at the Capilano branch of the North Vancouver District Public Library. She didn't have a horse as a child but is allowed to ride her daughter's horse (under strict supervision). For more details check your local libraries.
