Morrene J. Hauser

This children's book reminded me of the joy and excitement of horses, ponies, and riding as a little girl. The clear colors of the illustrations also reminded me of simpler times and the illustrations evoked the endless adventure of childhood. I enjoyed Morrene's enthusiasm for having a pony, her treating Sunshine as an equal, Sunshine herself, riding, and learning to tell right hand from her left. I did find it difficult to understand the correlation between learning your right from your left and learning to ride, a stubborn pony. Now I do understand that ponies in particular can be difficult to work with and that they often have a mind of their own, but I was a bit concerned at how long Sunshine was able to get away with her naughtiness with Morrene. Overall a cute book about a girl and her pony.… (mehr)

Sunshine, by Morrene Hauser, is an enchanting children’s book about a little girl’s wish for her own pony coming true! She is so excited! There’s only one small dilemma. Sunshine will only walk in a straight line.

The book is delightfully and beautifully illustrated and sure to capture a child’s imagination. I loved the artist’s rendering of Sunshine. The pictures make me want a horse, too!

I have one caution, however. Some sensitive children may be upset when the mother slaps the pony’s backside to get it to move in a direction other than a straight line. Even though this is normal teaching behavior, the mother did not warn the daughter first and the horse runs and bucks, scaring the little girl. (This happens twice in the story.)

Sunshine, recommended for ages 0 to 8, can easily be read by beginning and more advanced readers.

I received this book from LibraryThing. However, I was under no obligation to write a review.… (mehr)

I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the beginning of the book where the young girl's adventure with her pony begins. She is excited to spend time with her and that really came across. The pictures were nice though text on the pages could have been aligned neater. I enjoyed the creative way in which she learnt left and right at school. The language is simple and easy to understand.

However I didn't quite understand the connection between how Sunshine actually helped her learn her left from right, it could have been made clearer. I was a little shocked with the use of physical discipline towards the pony and didn't think it was very appropriate to have in a children's book. As well as seeing the girl being kicked off, it seemed a little dangerous and might put children off from wanting to ride a horse.… (mehr)