The Winter Pony

June 1, 2012
Gr 5-8-With his usual spirit of high adventure combined with all the pathos and tragedy of "Black Beauty", Iain Lawrence spins an engrossing tale (Delacorte, 2011) that captures listeners' attention and imagination. The tale is related through the eyes of James Pigg, one of the 20 white Manchurian ponies from Siberia that accompanied Robert Scott on his fatal journey to reach the South Pole. Hauntingly narrated by Eduardo Bellerini, listeners experience the brutal, frigid, and mind-numbing expedition as well as the complicated interactions among ponies, humans, and dogs. Not for the faint of heart or overly sensitive, the story embodies determination, devotion, and fortitude. This book will soon sit on the shelf of animal classics along with Fred Gipson's "Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls, and Marjorie Rawlings's "The Yearling".-"Laurie Balderson, Hamilton-Holmes Middle School, VA"

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