Following on from the fabulous, ‘Pony on the Twelfth Floor,’ Polly Faber and Sarah Jennings are back with another hilarious horse adventure in, ‘Prima Donna Pony.’ Rose absolutely loves horses but she likes them on films and on posters and spotting them from a distance in a field but in real life she has been nervous of them since an unfortunate incident with an ice cream. So when Rose wins an actual real life horse – not just any old horse, the most famous pony in the country – in a competition everyone assumes she will be thrilled. In the back of her mind she is convinced she isn’t a worthy winner and things everyone knows this. To make matters worse Maltie Delight is more concerned with maintaining his superstar image then helping a shy girl overcome her fears. Can these unlikely duo find a way to make friends?
Hilarious and heartfelt this is a wonderful romp of an adventure filled with so many moments of comedy that are bound to delight the reader. One of my favourite scenes is when Rose is trying to entice Maltie to come to her, when a friend suggests give him something he’ll love she gets out her camera to take a selfie with him and well you’ll soon see what happens. There is a really interesting cast of characters who help Rose along the way and they’re made more believable because of their flaws. I particularly Billy whose ineptitude and lack of any organisational skills forces Rose to be brave for the first time in her life. It manages to mix the outrageous with the believable creating a fun and entertaining storyline. Polly cleverly contrasts the love that Maltie Delight has for himself with Rose’s insecurity and lack of confidence. You couldn’t imagine a pair more different yet somehow they both discover things about themselves that they hadn’t realised. Sarah’s illustrations capture the full scale of Maltie’s vanity brilliantly as well as the fun and shenanigans that unfold in the story. This is the perfect book to put a smile on your face, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Thanks to Polly for sending me a gifted copy of this wonderful book for the school library. ‘Prima Donna Pony,’ is available to buy now online or from any good bookshop. If you can please support your local indie bookshop.
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