Ponyella

November 15, 2010
Cinderella gets a peppy makeover in this pony tale from the trio behind the Jellybeans series. Ponyella has an idyllic life until two mean-spirited ponies move onto the farm. While Plumpkin and Bun Bun snicker at her, Ponyella is forced to pull a cart piled with coal, and her white coat "became as gray as a rain cloud." When the haughty ponies are spruced up and taken to the royal pony championship, forlorn Ponyella is visited by her caped "fairy godmare," who turns an apple core into a horse trailer, a mouse into a driver, and the bedraggled pony into a magnificent animal with diamond horseshoes and roses adorning her tail and mane. The frillier moments in Munsinger's pastel-dominated paintings are offset by lightly comedic particulars: Ponyella's human driver still grasps the cheese the mouse was holding, the horses display outsize facial expressions, and the young princess who judges the pony competition in which Ponyella excels—and who finds Ponyella's lost horseshoe—wears a crown on her riding helmet. A sweet, playful adaptation that's just right for the My Little Pony crowd. Ages 4–8.

February 1, 2011

PreS-Gr 2-A sugary version of "Cinderella" for the "My Little Pony" (HarperCollins) set. Ponyella, whose coat is as white as a marshmallow, lives happily on her small farm, running and jumping as she pleases. But when the farm is sold, the new owner brings along his ponies, Plumpkin and Bun Bun. Ponyella now has to live in a small, smelly stall and pull a coal-filled cart all day. When it is announced that Princess Penelope is going to pick the winner of the Tippington 25th Annual Grand Royal Pony Championship, the step-ponies are groomed and driven to the show in a fancy trailer. Poor Ponyella, now as gray as a rain cloud from her sooty work, begins to cry. Suddenly, her fairy godmare appears and waves her wand, and Ponyella is beautifully groomed and wearing four diamond horseshoes. Of course, she is the star of the horse show, but when the clock strikes 12, she has to run, leaving a shoe behind so the traditional ending can happen. Munsinger does her best to make this bit of froth look good. Ponyella, Cooper, and the princess are charmingly drawn and the fairy godmare is surrounded with stars and pink cotton-candy clouds. The slight, predictable story may be enjoyed by girls who can't get enough of cutesy horse books, but most readers would be better off with one of the many other excellent versions of the story.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2010
This pony version of the traditional Cinderella story is bound to appeal to horse lovers. The unfortunate Ponyella loves her farm and jumping more than anything else. But her life changes dramatically when the farm is sold and Bun Bun and Plumpkin arrive. Suddenly, her stall is minuscule and she spends her days pulling a coal cart. Her hopes rise with talk of Princess Penelope and the Tippington 25th Annual Grand Royal Pony Championship, but the two newcomers soon dash them. Leave it to Ponyella's fairy godmare to save the day, diamond horseshoes and all. Happy endings abound...and Bun Bun and Plumpkin even get their comeuppance in a satisfying ending. Munsinger's softly colored watercolor illustrations portray Ponyella as a gorgeous white pony, while Bun Bun and Plumpkin are the epitome of "horse-faced." There is very little to surprise anybody here, the lockstep translation of the fairy tale entirely predictable and festooned with horsey details. That doesn't mean it won't have readers: Horse lovers and libraries who serve them won't want to miss this one. (Picture book. 4-8)

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