Product Description

On the farm where Julie lives there are cows and chickens, but no ponies.  With her whole heart, Julie longs for a pony of her own.  And she has a plan. 

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35822 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-17
• Released on: 2008-06-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. With its sparkling pink cover and pony, this book will surely appeal to My Little Pony collectors, but Jeffers's (My Pony) heartwarming story of a girl achieving her dream offers much of substance, demonstrating the kindness of the Virginia community dedicated to saving the Chincoteague Island ponies. When Julie doesn't have enough money to buy a pony at the yearly auction, townspeople contribute their own money to make sure her months of hard work are rewarded. The author's theme—how it is that children learn to be generous—is delivered with a light touch: Julie vows to work just as hard the following year so she can help another girl buy a pony of her own. Unfortunately, the striking author's note about the bighearted Chincoteague tradition of helping others precedes the story, effectively spoiling the suspense. The paintings, rendered in a variety of sizes, capture the beauty of island sunsets and the spirited ponies; they do special justice to Julie's breathless anticipation and initial disappointment. An homage to Marguerite Henry appears in an illustration of Julie reading Henry's classic Misty of Chincoteague. Ages 3–8. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2—Julie's favorite story is Marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague, and her fondest wish is to have a pony of her own. The child convinces her farm-dwelling parents to take her to Chincoteague Island for Pony Penning Day so that she can bid in the auction. Unfortunately, she is continually outbid and realizes that the money she's earned won't be enough. Then one pony is returned and several people in the crowd pitch in to make her dream come true. This story is based on an incident that Jeffers witnessed when she went to this auction. The lovely illustrations capture Julie's love of horses, the beauty of the ponies, and the excitement of the roundup by the "saltwater cowboys" of the volunteer fire department.—Carol Schene, formerly at Taunton Public Schools, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Julie, who loves reading Misty of Chincoteague, works hard to earn enough money to buy a pony, which she plans to do at the annual pony penning and auction at Chincoteague Island on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. At the fairgrounds, she feels an immediate connection with one black-and-white filly. But when the bidding begins, Julie is outbid on every pony, not just the one she longed for. In the end, though, she fulfills her dream through the kindness of strangers. It’s a hard heart, or at least a heart that hasn’t been pre-softened by readings of Marguerite Henry’s Misty books, that won’t be touched by this lovely picture book. Based on an incident Jeffers witnessed on Pony Penning Day, the story is told in simple, direct language with an aside that briefly explains the legend of how ponies came to Assateague Island and how saltwater cowboys round them up and swim them across the channel to Chincoteague each year. With echoes of Wesley Dennis’ illustrations, Jeffers’ precise, graceful ink-and-watercolor artwork will captivate children, especially those who share Julie’s fascination with ponies. Preschool-Grade 3. --Carolyn Phelan

Customer Reviews

Beautiful story
This is a beautiful picture book with a lovely story and moral. I got it for my daughter for her 7th birthday and she is enchanted with this story of a little girl who works to save money to buy a pony of her own.

Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children
Julie has dreamed of owning a pony for years. When she was old enough, Julie started to do extra chores on the family's dairy farm in order to save money for buying a pony at the annual auction in Chincoteague Island. At the auction, she spotted a black and white filly that seemed to call out to Julie. But alas, the filly and all the other ponies were auctioned off to other bidders with more money than her. Julie would have returned home without her dream horse were it not for a stroke of fate that re-opened the bidding and the generosity of the strangers sitting around her.

Mixed into the main story are some important lessons in economics about saving money and the use of auctions. Adding to the appeal is an interesting account of Chincoteague Island's annual round-up of wild ponies on neighboring Assateague Island in order to manage the size of the herd and to prevent over-grazing. The eye-catching watercolor paintings and the substantive content will surely draw a readership that goes far beyond horse lovers.

Great Story - Keep Tissue Nearby!
I was researching books by Susan Jeffers because I loved the Swan book and came across this book. The reviews were great so I decided to give it a try. From the authors notes through to the end, it was such a great and touching story. Not even half way through, tears began to run down my cheeks. I tried to not make it noticeable to my little girl, so then I made my voice softer and softer and I read a lot slower because my eyes would not stop tearing. I told my husband to read it to her since he had never read it, and I wanted to see his reaction to it. He said that he had never read such a short touching story that would make a man cry less than half way through! We were both laughing so hard about this we started to cry again. Beautiful art work as well! Highly recommend reading this to any age child, and explain the beauty of it to them if they are younger. I would love to actually see something like that in my lifetime! - Brett's Wife