Helen Kay (1)

A Pony for the Winter is a very heart touching story. It is about a little girl who wants a pony of her own so bad that it almost hurts. No matter how many times she asks, her parents always say that it is too expensive for them to afford. When Deborah looks into a local pony ride business, she realizes that they board out their ponies for the winter. When she talks to her parents she finally convinces them to let her keep one for the winter . She cares for her pony, Mollie all winter and it almost seems as if it is her own, although she knows that when spring comes, she must return it to the pony ride business.
I think that this story hits me very close to home because I understand where Deborah is coming from when she wants a pony so so bad. My father is in the military so I have never been able to have large animals until just recently. The feeling of finally having what you've always dreamed of is amazing.
I think that a lot of children would enjoy this book being read aloud to them because they tend to enjoy seeing happy endings to stories. It is a great feeling to know that your students/children enjoy a book as much as you do. This would be a book just for fun at the end of the day, or right before break to end a a great, happy note.… (mehr)

A Pony for the Winter is about a little girl named Deborah, who wants a pony, but her parents say it is too expensive. She discovers that Playland Park, a local pony ride business, boards their ponys out for the winter. She convinces her parents that she is willing and able to take care of this pony and they agree to let her keep it for the winter. All winter long the little girl takes care of Mollie and she feels very much like her own; however, she knows that in the spring time Molliet must return to Playland Park.

This is a great short read, if you love horses as I do. It teaches children the responsibilities of owning a pony, or any pet. I also think it teaches about separation. It has a very simple story line that would be easy for young readers to comprehend.

As a classroom activity I may have the class write a paragraph about how they take care of their pets in the winter, and how it differs from how pets are cared for in the summer. For younger children, I would have them draw a picture of winter and use it as a tool in teaching about seasons.… (mehr)

More than anything in the world, Deborah wants a pony. Can she have one, please, she begs her parents. But ponies cost money, and they're a lot of work, so the answer is no. But when Deborah discovers that the Playland Park pony ride ponies are boarded out for the winter, and there's one left that has no where to go, she convinces her parents that she can take care of the pony. So begins Deborah's lesson -- ponies are, indeed, a lot of work. But there is also a lot of fun to be had, and by the end of the winter Mollie is very much Deborah's pony. She has to go back to Playland Park for the summer, but come fall, Mollie will be Deborah's again.

Although perhaps a bit dated now, A Pony for the Winter offers young horse-lovers a realistic idea of the work that comes along with a pony or horse of their own. Deborah works very had to keep Mollie comfortable, but for both, the pay-off is worth it. Like all children and their ponies, there are some slightly mis-guided ideas attempted: be sure to look out for the illustration of Mollie in galoshes -- priceless!… (mehr)