vera
Pony Clubber
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Post by vera on Feb 26, 2010 2:59:58 GMT 1
There are pony books, which are unashamedly Christian in nature while still retaining their right to be a pony book. In this category is Beryl Bye’s trilogy, “Nobody’s Pony”, “Pony for Sale” and “Belle’s Bridle”.[Lutterworth Press] Kelpie, Candy and Belle are real ponies with characters and the interaction between the girls and their ponies is beautifully drawn. Cathy’s Christianity is as integral to the story as is her relationship with Kelpie. The failure of her belief leads to trouble and only a return to faith can set things right. All three books are delightful reads and the message, although never hidden, is painlessly imparted. For example in the last book the three girls set out to use their ponies in an unselfish way. They are highly indignant at being told by the matron of a home for disabled children that there is more to giving her charges rides than girls with ponies. The pony element of the stories is never secondary to the Christian element. In a similar vein is the “Winnie the Horse Gentler” series by Dandi Daley Mackall [Tyndale Publishers]. Again Winnie’s struggle with her faith is a central theme in the stories. The horses are perhaps not quite so real and the reformation of the problem horses perhaps a little too quick to be realistic, especially by such a young protagonist. But a pony mad girl can read these books without feeling that religion is being forced unwillingly into her mind. Another type is exemplified by the Keystone Stable series by Marsha Hubler [Zondervan]. These books have the horse element added to what could be good stories; the horses do not add anything to the plotss and are very sketchily drawn. The impression is given that horse stories are popular so we will write a horse story to get our message across. But each horse is interchangeable. The young troubled teens are however beautifully portrayed. We are told how being with horses helps them but the how this happens I do not think is shown adequately. Tthe horses are all unbelievably perfect! The third category are those pony books in which religion makes a casual appearance. In Monica Edward’s “Wish for a Pony” Tamsin wishes for a pony at a wishing gate because prayer is for important things, like poverty and world peace but not really for a pony. There is Patricia Leitch’s “Riding Course Summer” when Ann wants to sing “Now Thank We All Our God” riding across the moor on her loan pony Quilt. In Jill’s Gymkhana, she is not allowed to take money working for Mrs. Darcy on Sundays. Most pony books do have a high moral tone; kindness to animals is important; helping each other and looking after younger children is taken for granted. Family quarrels always seem to be forgivable squabbles and not deadly lifelong feuds. But this is taken so much for granted that you have to go looking for it. Is there a place for religious pony books? To me personally this is like asking if there is a place for religion in life. However if religion is to be the theme then I think it needs to be up front. And if horses and ponies are to be included, they need to be well drawn and an integral part of the plot.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2010 13:36:33 GMT 1
I've only read this third catagory so far and the religous side I don't mind as it isn't pushed into your face in these books but just describes how things were at that time when most children were expected to attend church on Sundays and say their prayers etc.
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Post by foxglove on Feb 26, 2010 17:28:24 GMT 1
Interesting post. The only overtly religious pony book I can recall was called "Ricky at the Riding School" or some such. IIRC the happy ending was that she agreed to listen to a god-bothering bloke at the stables and what he had to say about the right path etc. I didn't like it, as the pony story element seemed secondary to the preachiness, and the pony story wasn't that good either.
For information, my mum sent me to church, sunday school and a religious youth club occasionally but didn't persist when I said I wasn't interested. I am now a fairly cynical atheist, which would surely colour my memory and response to overt and unsubtle religious themes in children's literature.
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Post by Claire on Feb 26, 2010 20:16:32 GMT 1
I dont want to get into a religious debate on here but it seems to me that religious pony books are quite subjective. Religious people don't mind them too much, and atheists either hate them or arent that bothered either way. Altho I am not religious, I don't mind most religious pony books if they are either 1) good pony stories on their own right or 2) don't force religion down people's throats too much. As far as I can remember as foxglove says the Ricky story failed on both counts! The Beryl Bye books altho very strongly religious are still proper traditional (and quite good) pony stories. The only bone I have with them is that the author seemed to feel it is OK for a young girl to feel terrible guilt about owning a pony when money is needed for a missionary - so much so that she is willing to give up her pony so she can donate the money. I think that is too much of a burden to put on a young girl's shoulders. Makes a good plot tho, and I suppose it is the religious take on the secular girl giving up pony to save family fortunes etc theme.
On the whole tho I do prefer the books where there is a more subtle religious message running through a proper pony story. One of the best of such is The Ponies of Swallowdale Farm, which I know is even liked by some real anti-religion readers! Also not bad are the Golden Filly and High Hurdles series by Lauraine Snelling. Elizabeth Batt also wrote some but they were not the best written books in my opinion.
Like Rosie said I don't really consider the bits in Jill and the Pat Leitch books etc, religious as such, as she said it was just the way kids were brought up in those days. I used to go to Sunday school, say prayers, go to Church outings, etc as a child, and most children of my era and before did. Pony books, indeed most books of that era were moralistic. But for me that is a separate issue to religion.
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Post by susanb on Feb 26, 2010 20:58:26 GMT 1
Interesting question!
I think the trouble isn't religion, per se, but of the handling of disparate plot elements....the analogy I'd make would be pony stories that are instructional. There are some where the blend between story and instructional element is smooth (Patricia Leitch's Dream of Fair Horses, for example) and some where it absolutely stinks (Judith Berrisford's Pony in the Family).
Combining ponies and religion is even more difficult, and it would take a superb writer to pull it off, without it seeming more like a sermon than a story.
Of the top of my head, I can't think of one that was wholely successful....National Velvet maybe?
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Post by garej on Feb 26, 2010 22:49:16 GMT 1
Another religious author is Marion P Stroud. I don't mind religious authors as such, just as long as there is a decent sub-story and it is clearly listed (on the auction, or private book listing) it is one so that I know what to expect.
Like rosie said, most were written (they seem to be written in the 1950s or 1960s) when attendance in church was seen as something that was expected, and everyone put on decent clothes (literally, their Sunday best). These days some people go in their jeans and trainers!
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Post by Claire on Feb 28, 2010 21:06:50 GMT 1
Marion P. Stroud is quite a nice author and the religion is not all encompassing.
Susan I think you are right in a way when you say there is a problem with combining a certain type of book with a pony (or indeed any) story. Another category similar is that of the career book. A good example of such is Monica Edwards Rennie Goes Riding, which is a good story as well as giving info about a horsy career, but there have been some other less successful. However I do think that religion brings out a stronger response in some readers than say a poorly written instructional/career element story. I think its because many non-religious people feel that someone else's personal opinion is being forced upon them, in the same way as a political stance would be. I think thats what gets the wind up a lot of atheists when they read religious pony books.
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Post by cally on Mar 1, 2010 21:45:34 GMT 1
I picked up an old PB with a smashing cover of a girl jumping in a gymkhana and started reading it. 2 Pages in- her parents mention something about church...next page God's mentioned a couple of times...then the real Praise the Lord Jesus really kicked in. Yes- 'Inquisitive Penny' by Ambrose Payne was a full on piece of God Bothering propaganda about as subtle as a week old dead fish. As I said, the cover was great so I binned the book and stuck the cover up on my kitchen cupboard door.
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Post by Claire on Mar 1, 2010 22:48:42 GMT 1
I'll give that one a miss then cally!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2010 7:51:39 GMT 1
;D
Don't think I'd have enjoyed reading that book either
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vera
Pony Clubber
Posts: 247
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Post by vera on Mar 3, 2010 5:03:09 GMT 1
Interesting viewpoints! What started me off was my 3 year old grandson asking me to buy him a little horse, a pony he could ride and I said no. Then he said I will ask my Mummy and when Mummy said no he said, I will ask God, He will give me anything I ask for....then I remembered how annoyed I got with religion in some books and not in others and wondered what they key to tolerance and enjoyment was. I like Lauraine Snelling, I had forgotten her! I have not come across MArion P Stroud. I do agree with you Claire about Cathy feeling she has to sell her pony was a rough thing for a young girl!
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Post by garej on Mar 6, 2010 20:15:40 GMT 1
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Post by Claire on Mar 6, 2010 20:55:35 GMT 1
Interesting cover, the girl looks a bit p***d off, as does the pony, not surprising as it looks like she is practically sitting on its quarters! I would have been tempted to buy this had I not known what it really was!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2010 8:22:48 GMT 1
There's something very strange-looking about the head of the girl jumping...it might be the red riding hat or her head is too big for her body or something
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Post by Claire on Mar 7, 2010 13:12:20 GMT 1
Just to add another Christian pony book author: Martha Hubler, in particular the Keystone Stables series. Haven't read these so can't comment on them but I have read a review which says that the Christian element is not too forced.
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Post by garej on Mar 13, 2010 19:49:33 GMT 1
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Post by Claire on Mar 13, 2010 21:03:26 GMT 1
Thanks Garej. I think I might have got the info on Martha Hubler from that blog
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Post by Claire on Mar 14, 2010 21:28:37 GMT 1
Adventures on the Lazy N by Ellen Jane MacLeod is another pony story with a Christian element. The religion is pretty well in the backgound in this one.
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Post by Halibut dreams on Apr 6, 2014 15:17:06 GMT 1
For some reason that link is taking me to a page of 1995 pennies, as in the UK currency.
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Post by tintin on Apr 7, 2014 22:59:36 GMT 1
I have a book in my "to be read" pile which I thought was a Christian Pony story, "Jane and Winky" by Beth Coombe Harris but is actually a Christian Rat story, which must be fairly unique. Jane does have a black pony called Stella though. The book is undated, but he illustrations look thirties.
In "Wish for a Pony" the father is a clergyman and I like the very natural understated way that is handled.
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Post by Claire on Apr 8, 2014 1:16:35 GMT 1
A Christian rat story - the mind boggles lol!
Been interesting re-reading this thread. Glad its been bumped up - thats one of the great things about new forum members - they resurrect some of the old threads again.
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Post by trixiepony on Apr 8, 2014 8:25:02 GMT 1
Yes I like that too Claire.
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Post by Charlotte on Apr 8, 2014 20:15:23 GMT 1
Marion P. Stroud is quite a nice author and the religion is not all encompassing. Susan I think you are right in a way when you say there is a problem with combining a certain type of book with a pony (or indeed any) story. Another category similar is that of the career book. A good example of such is Monica Edwards Rennie Goes Riding, which is a good story as well as giving info about a horsy career, but there have been some other less successful. However I do think that religion brings out a stronger response in some readers than say a poorly written instructional/career element story. I think its because many non-religious people feel that someone else's personal opinion is being forced upon them, in the same way as a political stance would be. I think thats what gets the wind up a lot of atheists when they read religious pony books. I'm no atheist, used to be Anglican with Catholic leanings, but no churchgoing nowadays. Anyway I don't mind a bit of religion, just dislike books full of propaganda. It was more the characters/plot I disliked in White Winter than the limited religion. Do think Marion P.Stroud's If Wishes Were Horses is pretty all encompassing, there seem to be religious characters/messages everywhere. Never finished it. It was published by an evangelical press, mine is labelled as a sunday school chapel prize. Several books are like that, mostly not religious at all.
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Post by rallycairn on Apr 13, 2014 3:23:12 GMT 1
What in the world is a Christian rat story? Boggled and bewildered, indeed.
Though I guess we had a rat chef with Ratatouille, so ... .
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