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Post by Claire on Dec 14, 2016 23:46:35 GMT 1
Hi all, our festive read this year is the aptly titled The Christmas Pony by Sylvia GreenI've picked this one partly because, as I know most of us are busy at this time of year, it's very short and easy to read, being for younger readers than our normal choices. But mainly because I think it's full of true Christmas spirit. Maybe not a huge amount to discuss here but I hope it will provide an antidote to any humbug like tendencies which may be lurking within. Oh and I have a spare copy I am happy to send anyone as an early Christmas present (UK only I'm afraid as it wouldn't arrive anywhere else in time). Either post here or PM me if you'd like it.
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Post by kunuma1 on Dec 16, 2016 16:41:23 GMT 1
Claire if I can have it to read I can read it fast and forward it on to who ever else wants it?
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Post by Claire on Dec 16, 2016 23:43:21 GMT 1
Yes of course I'll send it off to you Kunuma. You're such a fast reader it will only take you a nano-second!
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Post by kunuma1 on Dec 24, 2016 14:53:39 GMT 1
It quite literally only takes ten minutes to read, it's one of those with big print so a very easy read. I read it last night - nice pic on the cover and lots of rather basic pics all through. Nothing to dislike about it, won't give away spoilers but am still wondering why anyone would be desperate to have a pony when they could only ride it in the field?? Plus it was obviously not written by a barefoot fan lol!!
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Post by rallycairn on Dec 28, 2016 0:19:40 GMT 1
My copy finally arrived today!
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Post by Claire on Dec 28, 2016 17:54:39 GMT 1
(Contains some spoilers)
Agree with you Kunuma on the barefoot front, why was he shod when they were just riding in the field? I do think they were only riding in the field though cos he was someone else's pony. I'm sure they took him for hacks and to the odd gymkhana when he was eventually their own pony!
As I said earlier this is aimed at younger readers and as such does not contain anything of real depth. However it is a nice antidote to the many modern pony books which seem to be obsessed with rather shallow concerns. It contained some nice messages for kids about working for what you want rather than just expecting things to fall into your lap, which is sadly what many children today are led to believe is the norm. The kids were an enterprising bunch that's for sure, though I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have been allowed to hold a Christmas Fayre and raffles, etc, for anything other than a charity. But maybe that's being picky!
I think it was a good read for Christmas time. Apart from being set over Christmas it also was pretty good at summoning up the Christmas spirit of giving, with the children giving up some of their heard-earned money to help a sick dog. And the old man who devoted his life to looking after abused and abandoned animals continued the theme. He even managed to double up as a Scrooge-like figure, until the children found out what he was really like. And of course we had the obligatory happy ending. And snow!
I also thought it was quite good at highlighting the costs of looking after a pony rather than just buying it. So many stories are about skint kids saving up to buy a pony, then you wonder how the heck they are going to pay for it's food and keep when they eventually get it!
Could maybe have done with a little more tension in the plot which would perhaps have taken the book to a higher level. The fact that the kids couldn't find somewhere to keep the pony didn't feel like much of a threat. And the author could perhaps have used the episode where the kids pay for the sick dog to feel more of a sacrifice. But on the other hand this meant the book was more of a feel good read which, as Kunuma said, had nothing to dislike about it.
Illustrations were a bit too modern for my taste, although they actually managed to get the right colour pony on the front cover!
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Post by darkhorse on Jan 1, 2017 23:32:55 GMT 1
I enjoyed the book. Nothing outstanding, but nevertheless a good comfort read, and yes, it did evoke a Christmas spirit/vibe. The children were likeable and caring. I would be happy for my children to have read the book when they were younger as it does give a good message of caring and being hard-working to children and also that Christmas is not about getting loads of presents but is about giving and being with those you love (Mr Crumnbs in this case!) I do like the fact that the cat and pony are kept together at the end. A good read to cheer you up if you are feeling a bit cynical and cheesed off with the world. I voted good.
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Post by rallycairn on Jan 3, 2017 0:52:57 GMT 1
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
I loved this gentle, charming little book! It did take me more than 10 minutes to read, but only an hour or so.
I don't know how realistic it is long term that 4 kids will be able to fairly and amicably share a pony, but I really liked the practical approach they took to working and saving, and the way they pulled together and utilized each one's strengths to try to make the pony purchase happen.
I liked that Mr. Crumbs was just a tractable, handy animal (no black stallion or Shantih syndrome here). A little bit older, too -- not ready for retirement by any means, but old enough that he wasn't seen as valuable enough to try to sell. Made it seem a very realistic setup.
It was perhaps a bit too perfect that the neighbor ended up being an animal rescuer/wildlife rehabilitator, but it was still an ending that I liked very much. A mutually beneficial arrangement with the children helping him with animal care, the neighbor giving them the free board and also just being something of a guarantee that the boarding situation can be longterm. Plus, he's an adult with animal care experience, and the resources (land, barn) to care for animals. A good place for Mr. Crumbs and the kids to end up -- they are set up for success, unlike, say, Ruth with Fly-by-Night in a suburban yard being cared for by people with no horse/large animal experience.
I liked the details of caring for Mr. Crumbs that were provided, as well as all the quite reasonable obsession with budgeting for the cost of caring for a pony!
I enjoyed the wintry outdoor scenes and the Christmas bazaar, so it did have a Christmas feel to it, like darkhorse said.
Re: some of the points others have made:
-- Knowing how typical American communities are, nightmares of suburban sprawl with little to no public transportation systems (car culture), for me the difficulty of finding an affordable place to board Mr. Crumbs seemed a very realistic (if prosaic) threat.
-- I too think that fairs and bazaars and other such fundraisers are usually for a charitable purpose (although lots of school bands and school athletic teams fund some pretty exotic trips with things like bake sales and car washes, so there is some leeway there). But it does appear that our protagonists were honest about their purpose for raising money. Also, given that the pony was destined for a sanctuary rather than being marketed for a private sale, in a sense they were giving a home to an animal in need of one. They were raising his care costs, not a purchase price, so it wasn't exactly "give us money so we can buy a pony!!" but rather, "this pony will soon lose his home and we'd like to keep him here rather than send him to a rescue/sanctuary."
A nice, simple, relaxing read. Great choice for the holidays!
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Post by Claire on Jan 14, 2017 17:51:58 GMT 1
Sorry it's taken me a while to reply to your post Rally. I'm glad you enjoyed the book which I feel is a little over-looked, perhaps because it's aimed at younger readers. (The donkey story - A Christmas Wish- is also a nice heart-warming rescue tyoe story)
I would have quite liked to have read a sequel to see how the 4 kids got on with Mr Crumbs, and like you say Rally, how that worked out in reality! I reckon one or two may have dropped out after a while when the initial excitement had worn off!
Does anyone else have the 2 in 1 edition and if so did they read the cat story (The Best Christmas ever)? I wanted to but since Rosie passed away I am a bit over-emotional over cat stories, especially if the cats are hurt or lost, etc.
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