Mumsnet Talk

I like to buy my goddaughter a book for her birthday (as well as what she wants !). Ideally one that I loved as a child. She is suddenly
Pony mad and I was but am struggling to find any of the ones I read still in print.

Any recommendations ?

Good new ones for this age would also be considered.

Thanks

I should add I got her Jill's Gymkhana last year.

Dd2 loves the Sheltie series, but they're possibly a bit too easy for a 9 yo.

Is Jill's Gymkhana the one where she has a horse called Black Boy? If so I loved those as a kid.

Dd2 (age 8) loves Monica Edwards books. They're currently being reprinted by GGBP. Ebay usually has a few, and I think www.badgerbooks.co.uk/ is another that stocks them.

Wish for a Pony is the easiest and also the first in the series and really the only true pony book with gymkhanas etc. If she likes excitement and adventure then the Wrestling (Sussex) ones are best. White Riders is my favourite. Dd2 likes Dolphin adventure best.
More pony/farming/countrylife then the Punchbowls are better, although the first (No Mistaking Corker) again is more of a pony story but it's a bit of a one on it's own. (Only one in first person, not Punchbowl setting) Punchbowl Midnight is beautiful writing about life on a farm.

They are also real places, Wrestling is Winklesea near Rye; and Punchbowl farm is near Guildford and the actual farm she lived on and you can go and see the places.

Get the rest of the Jill series, theyre the best pony books ever.

Also get 'A Pony at Blackbird Cottage' - a really great book IMO.

A classic like black beauty, national velvet, my friend flicka?

I remember reading books like the jackie series, follyfoot farm, fly-by-night, pullein Thompson sisters many years ago when I was that age. I guess you mean more the current equivalent of that kind of thing? If so I will watch with interest ( my DD is younger)

I'd love to know more of the modern equivalents to the Pullein Thompsons et al too.

There is a rather sweet series of books in Welsh about Siani the Shetland pony, the first one is available in English but they're the only thing that immediately comes to mind apart from things like the Pony Club secrets books which don't seem to be as good as the pony books I remember from my childhood (at least pony & book mad dd doesn't seem that taken by them).

Having said that I bought dd a Jill book 2nd hand in a charity shop and was PMSL at the very dated slang, so I'm not sure they were necessarily all that fab

Monica Edwards books. They're currently being reprinted by GGBP

really, DeWe? That's very exciting. I'm just in the middle of Black Hunting Whip & it's very hard going as it's in about 25 pieces

Oh thank you all. I will look through these. I had thought of National Velvet as I loved that. I think it has been reprinted as a bit of a classic so would be a nice one.

I did think of more jIll books but I don't know what she thought of the first one. Over her birthday last year her Mum was in intensive care so presents understandably
All got a bit chaotic so hadn't wanted to bring it up.

my dd1 is just coming up 7 and also has an interest in horses and she spotted the Tilly pony tails series the other day so she might start with that (unless anyone can tell
Me not to !)

Thanks for the ideas everyone. Such a shame many of those from our childhood are not printed.

War horse by Michael morpurgo?

I don't think war horse is a pony book as such, WOW

Silver Snaffles is one I adored at that age. It has been reprinted by Fidra here

I agree it is a different type of book, move an alternative approach (and having recently seen and been deeply moved by the play it is in my mind!)

pony books for girls from amazon

I would def go with the other Jill books though if you can find them. Admittedly they are very old fashioned but they're great stories & often very funny

Jill books on amazon

also the Pullein-Thompsons

The Monica Edwards books seem to be all wildly expensive but you could also look at Monica Dickens - Follyfoot Farm & World's End

My friend flicka is awesome, and its a trilogy so could be good for a few presents! I was pony mad at that age, pullein Thompson et al was brilliant.

Does this help?

oooh, neversaydie, I haven't read Silver Snaffles but Four Rode Home is one of my old favourites

'Fly by Night' by KM Peyton is one of the most lovely pony books.

Thanks again all. I love that site Teamdamon.

I've gone for follyfoot in the end but think I might start collecting second hand versions of all the ones I liked for my dds. DD1 actually bought home a pullein-Thompson from the school free reader box in the week and her Teacher was telling her about reading them when she was young.

I'm going to reread them all too !

Oh and I'd thought of warhorse but thought she might be a bit young ? What she would you say ? I have read it and loved it but thought the content might be a bit much . She'll be 9 but emotionally a young 9.

Cobblers Dream was the very first Follyfoot book. Has some fairly grim bits though iirc

Just remembered the silver brumby stories, they were ace

I think some 9 year olds would be fine with war horse ( the guide age for the play was 10 and there were some younger kids in the audience). If she is young for her age I would leave it for a year or 2.

Can you still get the Saddle Club? They were my favourite series. They're American, if that matters. Or I used to read the Jinny books or the Black Stallion. Or you could try The Silver Brumby by Elyne Mitchell. They were my most favourite books, about wild horses in Australia.

Yes yes yes to the Jinny ones - been wracking my brains but can't remember what they're called... And the proudest day of my young life was when my pony was used in a cover photo shoot for a Saddle Club book, so those too...