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Post by Claire on Feb 12, 2011 22:52:21 GMT 1
Our next reading circle book will be King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry Discussion will start in 2 weeks time (approx) when I will also add a poll. Post here if you need to borrow a copy or have a spare one to lend.
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Post by tintin on Feb 16, 2011 13:08:32 GMT 1
I have just sent for my copy. I had never heard of Marguerite Henry until I found this website. I am not sure if this is a blessing or not as I have now found more books I would like to read (but will try to discipline myself not to buy any until I have read this one.) This may be harder said than done as I have already fallen for "five o'clock Charlie" - what a splendid picture!
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Post by Claire on Feb 16, 2011 15:02:58 GMT 1
Lol tintin you will find LOADS of books you want to read on here, we all have! Then you will be wishing you hadnt found us for the sake of your bank account! ;D For the next few reading circle books we are picking out titles that are on the top 10s of various categories we have voted for (see the top 10 section in the pony books area for more info) so there should be some good ones coming up. King of the Wind was right up there in the top 10 historical pony stories.
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Post by susanb on Feb 16, 2011 16:29:48 GMT 1
As Claire said, you'll be finding a lot of books and authors here to add to your reading list! A short (and totally OT, sorry Claire) note....have you read any of Joanna Cannan's books? She was the mother of your favorite PT sisters, and wrote some excellent pony books as well as adult mysteries. Here's the link to Claire's page on her: joannacannan.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/
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Post by tintin on Feb 18, 2011 18:20:44 GMT 1
Hello Susan,
Many Thanks for that!
It is like being back at College! (bit in a niceway) I am picking up a reading list. I have got "Six Ponies" and "Pony Club Team" waiting to be read, then "King of the Wind" (while I was looking for a cheap edition of that book I sucumbed to temptation to buy "5 O'Clock Charlie" and "Jackie Won a Pony")
Plans for next month's pay packet? There are two options. If I like "King of the Wind" there are a couple of Marguerite Henry books that look really interesting. Option 2 is the Pullein-Thompson sisters biography (which I learnt about on this site) followed by a Joanna Cannan...
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Post by Claire on Feb 28, 2011 13:14:08 GMT 1
Hi all, just added poll. That 2 weeks have sped by! Just reading the book now and am passing it on to kunuma so maybe we can start the discussion later on this week to give everyone a chance to catch up.
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Post by tintin on Feb 28, 2011 13:37:12 GMT 1
My copy arrived on Saturday - the illustrations were a wonderful surprise - all things being equal I should have read it by the end of the week and be able to post something
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Post by Claire on Feb 28, 2011 13:53:27 GMT 1
Yes the illustrations are gorgeous, they really add to the book. Love Wesley Dennis! Which edition did you get tintin?
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Post by Claire on Feb 28, 2011 20:41:20 GMT 1
Just finished it instead of doing the housework Still love it!!!!
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Post by fizz on Mar 1, 2011 16:47:38 GMT 1
I loved this book as I child & named my pony after the protagonist! Loved the illustration as well, they seemed so lush compared to the line drawing usually in pony books. Don't know what I did with my copy. Can't really comment properly as it is more than 30 years since I read it.
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Post by Claire on Mar 1, 2011 23:54:34 GMT 1
The solution is to get another copy!!!
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Post by trixiepony on Mar 2, 2011 11:33:48 GMT 1
Its a good book and I love the illustrations as a artist I love the illustrations in pony book.
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Post by haffyfan on Mar 2, 2011 21:34:50 GMT 1
I have had this one since I was a child and do you know I ahve never ever read it or even come close...somthing about it just doesn't appeal to me for some reason. I'm thinking I'm big and ugly enough to brave it now though really....
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Post by susanb on Mar 2, 2011 21:52:49 GMT 1
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Post by Claire on Mar 2, 2011 22:35:37 GMT 1
Ooh gorgeous thanks susan. I sadly sold my 1st edition and kept a pb with black and white illustrations All for filthy lucre! Haffy you've GOT to read it. I know we don't always like the same books but I'm not alone in liking this one so I'm sure you will love it too.
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Post by tintin on Mar 4, 2011 14:10:40 GMT 1
I have just finished the book. I read it at two sittings (it would have been one, but I started it in my lunch break and had to go back to work). I have to say wow. This book thoroughly deserves the medal it received from the American Libraries. It has a good fast paced narrative, but still beautifully vivid descriptions. It is a good story with a likeable hero. You range from the Moroccan Sultan's court at Meknes to Paris, the English Countryside and Negate Gaol and finally on to the denoument at the stud farm and race course.
The story is good as it is about love for a horse and courage in adversity. Two other strong points are the illustrations (Susan - thanks for these splendidrepros of the original colour, some of the black and whites have come out badly in the paperbacks) and the bibliography. It is unfortunately rare for an author of fiction to share with us what their sources were.
I liked the book a lot and felt cheered and informed by it. I like books about the Middle East as well as books about horses so that helped.
Haffyfan - I know what you mean about being put off by a book though. Some books you just get the irrational "spookies" about. I have a book on my shelf "Miss Badsworth MFH" which was given to me years ago and there is just something about it that says "I'm not a good read"
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Post by kunuma on Mar 4, 2011 21:45:32 GMT 1
Got it today, thanks Claire, will read it tonight, looking forward to it as it is a first read, although I am still convinced I saw the film years ago!
Bit worried that my feelings about it are going to be overshadowed by the terrible things happening to the horses in Egypt at the moment - I hope not.
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Post by kunuma on Mar 5, 2011 22:44:53 GMT 1
Oh dear, you are all going to yell at me! I read King of the Wind and Misty's Twilight last night, and liked Twilight better! I struggled with the first half of the book, from the deliberate starving of the in foal mare onwards - and though I knew it was going to have a happy ending - the trouble with a rescue story is that you know what happens to the ones that are not rescued. That is what is so heartbreaking about RL rescues. I had to keep telling myself it was historical, but sadly in many cultures, things do not change for the better for animals in general, let alone horses. Once he was in England though I relaxed and concentrated on where she had stuck to the RL story - I loved the cat bit which was true, and though I really disliked the ridiculous idea that the loving handler let the stallion out to fight another in order to mate the mare, in RL he was used on her when the other stallion failed to perform (not quite so spectacular a storyline!!)and that of course was the beginnning of it all, so it was an important part of the story in that way. I know the story so well because of it's link with the SW and Chatsworth House, as well as my passion for Arabs. I suppose I am guilty of liking my pony books a total comfort read, fluffy bunny if you like! I am glad she wrote it though, as it brings the story to many people who would probably otherwise not know of it. Going to hide now as I know everyone else loves it
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Post by Claire on Mar 5, 2011 23:11:03 GMT 1
Ah now I know why you thought I wasn't talking to you on the chat room kunuma ;D Actually I like it when people disagree as it can get a bit boring when its nothing but a myriad of plaudits. However as for liking Mistys Twilight better....words fail me...sure susan will agree when she appears ;D It's interesting that you know so much about the real life version of events as I was just wondering what was true and what wasn't. Thats one of the reason I like historical books as I can go and explore the history of the thing as well as reading the story. Haha I am still laughing at the thought of an author trying to incorporate a stallion's failure to 'perform' into a children's book ;D ;D ;D What Agba did in the story was a bit out of character but Ms Henry had to come up with something, so no doubt used Sham defeating the other stally in a fight as a sort of metaphor for his superior virility!
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Post by Claire on Mar 6, 2011 20:11:27 GMT 1
A longer post about the book now as I was too tired last night.
Before you even start the book, it has an interesting conception. Apparently it was the brain child of the artist Wesley Dennis (Henry's regular illustrator) who when commissioned to do a painting of the Godolphin Arabian did some research about his life and found it was fascinating. He then mentioned to Marguerite Henry that the story would make a good book.
To me this is a perfect example of a children's book. It has engaging main characters, an interesting background and is fast paced enough to keep young readers from getting bored. It has a good mix of sad and happy bits too, with humour provided by a number of quirky characters. And of course it is wonderfully well written, like all the author's books. The historical backdrop and the amazing story provides enough interest to keep adult readers hooked too.
I love the main theme of the book which is the love and belief that Agba has in Sham. The bond between them is never broken and even when Sham is at his lowest ebb, Agba doesnt abandon him or his dreams for him. Another of my fav bits is the relationship with the cat and I am happy that the cat, boy and horse stayed together. A nice happy ending that for once is not contrived but actually true, is the icing on the cake.
I found some of the Arab customs interesting such as measuring the back and front parts of the horses and comparing them. Interesting that the fore part was considered to be more important when you always think of the 'engine' of a racehorse, especially a sprinter, as being in the quarters!
Interesting too to read elsewhere that the Godolphin Arabian is in the sire line of more American racehorses than english ones who are more indebted to the sire bloodlines of the Darley Arabian, a fact which ties up nicely with the start of the book where Man O'War, a descendant of 'Sham' is racing.
The book won the Newbery Medal in 1949 and imho deserved it.
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Post by susanb on Mar 6, 2011 20:39:07 GMT 1
None of the horses are starved, they observe the fast of Ramadan, which is from sunup to sunset, so their feeding schedules are seriously out of whack. I agree it's odd to have animals observing human religious rituals, but then the Arabs shared their tents with their horses, so perhaps they viewed them as more than mere animals. I'm with Claire here, there are no words!!! The American Library Association has our back on this one!
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Post by susanb on Mar 6, 2011 20:45:11 GMT 1
A thought: this book won the Newbery in 1949, having been published the previous year. What are the odds of a book (modern, not necessarily a horse book) that just happens to have a Muslim as a main character, without religion/culture/conflict being the main topic, being accepted and widely read in today's culture? And yet, this 63 year old book is still in print, and not just in it's native US.
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Post by kunuma on Mar 7, 2011 0:28:50 GMT 1
But, isn't that the best part of reading books? That a collection of words dreamed up by one person, can be read by thousands of people, and yet leave each one of them feeling completely differently about the book? I've been quite surprised that mostly on here, albeit we are talking about small genre, everybody seems to like/dislike the same books! There are notable exceptions (Jinny, anyone??) but on the whole we pretty much agree. I wonder if we still would if we included other genres? It has to be said too, that books, such as the Jinny series, which can arouse extremes of emotion at both ends of the spectrum, are at least not run of the mill. ;D It's no good telling me about prizes and literary awards, that's usually the kiss of death for me, I've lost count of the number of books I have read that everyone else loves and I hate!! Some of the Booker prize ones for example. Plus I have read a book purely in order to be rude about it, and had to climb down and admit I loved it, although I had been convinced I would hate it. Is the way we feel about a book ingrained in our subconscious, or do we influence our own feelings as we read it? Do certain triggers influence us more than others? As Carrie would say, 'I have to ask, do we decide how we feel about a book, or is our mind preprogrammed to react in a a certain way. Anyway, I deserve Brownie points for bravery, I knew you all loved it!
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Post by shadowhawke on Mar 7, 2011 1:55:32 GMT 1
I love King Of The Wind.... Margurite Henry is one of my favorite authors.
Misty Of Chincoteague is my favorite though... would love to go there someday.
Haven't read King Of The Wind inawhile,I think last year. My copy is packed away, thank god for libraries.
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Post by Claire on Mar 7, 2011 15:04:22 GMT 1
I don't think you can compare the Booker Prize to the Newbery medal. I agree that a lot of the Booker stuff is the literary equivalent of disappearing up your own backside, whereas the Newbery medal seems to stress entertainment as the main prerequisite for the winners. It's also the factor I rate the highest in a book. But I agree I wouldn't read a book just cos it has an award, just wanted to mention that I thought in this case it was justified. And lets face it not many pony books do manage to win awards. I think we can count them on the fingers of one hand.
Kunuma, have you 'put your money where you mouth is' and voted yet? ;D
Susan, interesting what you say about the author not playing the race/religion card with Agba. Now no doubt that topic would overshadow the story of the horse itself!
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Post by kunuma on Mar 8, 2011 23:31:28 GMT 1
. And lets face it not many pony books do manage to win awards. I think we can count them on the fingers of one hand I know that Misty was nominated for one, what other ones have won one?? Not 'til I can leave the country straight afterwards................
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Post by susanb on Mar 9, 2011 1:57:27 GMT 1
For the Newbery, there is a Winner and there are Honor books....the winner carries a gold medal, the honor books have silver medals (they aren't ranked withing themselves...i.e, there isn't a 3rd, 4th, 5th etc., place).
So....here we wouldn't say that Misty had been nominated for the 1948 Newbery and lost, but that it was a Newbery Honor book in 1948.....and honestly, I think it's better than saying just "shortlisted", as when you've whittled all the children's books published in a year to the top 4 or 5, you are talking about the cream of the crop!!!
Anyway....back to your actual question! Justin Morgan (1946), also by Marguerite Henry, was another Honor book, as were Chucaro: Wild Pony of the Pampas (1959) by Francis Kalnay and The Horsecatcher (1958) by Mari Sandoz. The Good Master (1936) and it's sequel The Singing Tree (1940) by Kate Seredy were also Honor books. Smoky, the Cow Horse by Will James was the Newbery Winner in 1927.
I don't know if it's that there was more openness in the US to awarding the medal to a horse book, or that more award-calibre authors in the US were open to writing a horse book....or maybe theres a synergy between the two: the award panels took horse books seriously because serious authors wrote them?
At any rate, here's a quick rundown of US horse book authors who medaled for books OTHER than their horse books:
Rutherford Montgomery - Newbery Honor in 1949 for Kildee House - horse books numerous, best known for Golden Stallion series
Doris Gates - Newbery Honor in 1941 for Blue Willow - horse books Morgan for Melinda/Filly for Melinda/Little Vic
Maia Wojciechowska - 1965 Newbery Winner for Shadow of a Bull - horse book Kingdom for a Horse
Ann Nolan Clark - 1953 Newbery Medal Winner for Secret of the Andes - horse book Hoofprints on the Wind
Stephen Meader - 1940 Honor book for Boy With a Pack - horse books Red Horse Hill, Cedar's Boy, Wild Pony Island
Robert Lawson - 1945 Newbery Medal Winner for Rabbit Hill, 1958 Honor winner for The Great Wheel - horse book Mr. Revere and I
Nicolas Kalashnikoff - 1952 Newbery Honor for The Defender - horse book Jumper: the Life of a Siberian Horse
Kate Seredy - 1938 Newbery Medal Winner for The White Stag - her two books with horsey content, The Good Master and it's sequel The Singing Tree were both Honor books
Sadly, of recent years, not so many horse books making the list, as the trend in children's publishing has turned to fantasy, historical fiction, mystery and what I'll call realistic "issue" fiction.
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Post by Claire on Mar 9, 2011 3:46:31 GMT 1
Thanks for that post susan, some interesting stuff there. Didnt realise so many pony books had won a Newbery Honor. May have to use 2 hands to count the award winners after all! On this side of the Atlantic we seem to have even fewer award winning pony stories however. I Couldn't Leave Dinah by Mary Treadgold won the Carnegie Medal in the 1940s. Also in the 1940s Elizabeth Goudge won it for Little White Horse. K M Peyton won it for The Edge of the Cloud but I doubt you could call that a pony book as its the least horsy of the Flambards series. War Horse by Michael Morpurgo was runner up for the Whitbread Award I thihk. But actually can't think of anything else. Like susan, I have found a few authors of pony books who have won awards for their non-pony stories: Berlie Doherty has won The Carnegie twice for Dear Nobody and Granny Was a Buffer Girl. Kitty Barne, best known by us for Rosina Copper won the Carnegie for Visitors from London. Linda Newbery who wrote The Marmalade Pony won the Whitbread Prize for Set in Stone and a silver Smarties Award for Catcall. Kate Thompson who wrote the pony book Annan Water won the Whitbread for The New Policeman. And Michael Morpurgo also won the Smarties award, gold and silver for another 2 non-pony books. There may be more but as I am writing this in what Jill Crewe called 'the silent watches of the night' in a bout of insomnia, I am too knackered to check any more out!
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vera
Pony Clubber
Posts: 247
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Post by vera on Mar 11, 2011 0:21:34 GMT 1
Thank you for those beautiful illustrations SusanB. I loved the book, also the film which was on tv here not so long ago. I am a little curious as to the authenticity of the Agba story; if you look up the Godolphin Arabian on Google, he first appears as a carthorse in Paris. But it's a great story. And love the cat who loves the horse and the boy... I always thought of Sham as a chestnut, because he was described as golden and all the Arabians I have seen have been chestnut or grey. A "golden" bay here would be a buckskin. It is interesting the way Agba's Muslim faith is taken for granted as part of who he is, and not a cause for conflict. Also his total dedication to the horse is beautifully described. Kunuma nobody is going to be upset that you have your own opinion ! It would be dull if we always agreed. Cheers Vera
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Post by shadowhawke on Mar 11, 2011 19:10:46 GMT 1
Margurite made Agba up. She needed someone to work the story around. A human to love Sham... Just like she did with Justin Morgan... the boy, was made up for the story. That's why her books are in fiction instead of non fiction, and why I love her stories. Their not just a bunch of dried up old facts, but facts mixed into a story.
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