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The Winter Pony
by
Iain Lawrence (Goodreads Author)
In the forests of Siberia, in the first years of the twentieth century, a white pony runs free with his herd. But his life chages forever when he's captured by men. Years of hard work and cruelty wear him out. When he is chosen to be one of 20 ponies to accompany the Englishman Robert Falcon Scott on his quest to become the first to reach the South Pole, he doesn't know wh...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
October 9th 2012
by Yearling
(first published November 8th 2011)
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If you like reading about explorations that are true stories and have sad endings, then you should read this book. It is called The Winter Pony by Iain Lawrence. But do not read this book if you love horses. I love horses and I was in shock at the end of this book.
This book is told from the perspective of an Icelandic pony about the adventures of his life from when he was born as a wild colt to when he died on an expedition working for men. It was an expedition to reach and explore the South Pol...more
This book is told from the perspective of an Icelandic pony about the adventures of his life from when he was born as a wild colt to when he died on an expedition working for men. It was an expedition to reach and explore the South Pol...more
A white pony is taken from the wild and used in Robert Scott's 1910 expedition to reach the South Pole before his rival Amundsen. The conditions are brutal, but after several years with horse breakers who are very cruel, James Pigg, as the horse is called by the men on the expedition, is pleased to be treated kindly and ready to work hard for the men. In alternating sequences, the preparations and progress of the two explorers are detailed. The horses and men all battle the elements the best the...more
At the turn of the last century, there was the romance of exploration. All around the world there was titillation at the exploits of bold explorers, and no more so than for the men who would race to reach the South Pole: Britain's Robert Falcon Scott and Norway's, Roald Amundsen. Each approached the challenge of reaching the Pole differently. Based on his experiences in the Northern Arctic, Amundsen chose to travel light with dogs. Scott envisioned a more complicated scientific expedition which...more
My first five-star review in some time, but well-deserved. This was truly a brilliant concept, beautifully executed and with a truly moving narration by Edoardo Ballerinini that makes this a solid book-on-CD recommendation. "The Winter Pony" tells the amazing and at times horrific story of Captain Robert Scott's attempt to reach the South Pole from the point of view of one of the Manchurian ponies brought along to pull their sledges, (who knew?). Although I’ve never been inside a pony’s head, th...more
I loved this heartbreaking story of Captain Scott's fatal journey to the South Pole, told from the point of view of one of the ponies he took with him. This is a well written book and the author obviuosly put much research and heart into this story. You can't help but fall in love with James Pigg, the pony from Siberia, as he tries his best to help Captain Scott and his dedicated team reach their goal. If you already know the end, you will still find yourself cheering for man and beast as they s...more
The Winter Pony completely outdoes Black Beauty when it comes to the sad factor. I knew this story would be depressing even before I began it, but I didn't really count on just how much it really would be. Told from James Pigg's point of view, we get an different sort of look at Captain Scott's South Pole expedition: from the pony's eyes. Iain Lawrence must understand ponies, because he captured the loyal hearts of these unique creatures perfectly - their intelligence, their quirky personalities...more
Apr 30, 2012
Virginia Brace
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
junior-fiction
This is marked Historical Fiction because the pony, James Pigg tells the story of Captain Scott's 1910 attempt to reach the South Pole using motor sledges, dogs, and Russian ponies. If junior readers can accept the idea of a pony understanding the feelings of his handlers and his fellow work ponies, and you can accept the frequent death and suffering of ponies and men, and you can accept the descriptions of the hungry and vicious dogs and the horrors of months in the Antarctic you will learn som...more
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book about Robert Falcon Scott's race to the South Pole as told by one of the ponies he took along. The story is told realistically, and does not sugar coat the agony the explorers and ponies faced as they attempted this treachery journey. I was fascinated with the description of the harshness of Antarctica and the multitude of preparations they needed to make to reach the Pole. Be warned -- there is no happy ending here, not for Scott and not for the pon...more
This was a truly good read. Meant for adolescent readers, I think any adult would be drawn in to the story of one of Scott's ponies, told from the perspective of James Pigg. The intense cold, the struggle to work in the harsh environment, the limited knowledge of what was happening, through it all the pony remained steadfast. I knew the whole effort was futile, having read a lot of accounts of the race to the Pole, but still I wanted a different outcome. The author does not spare us but in telli...more
The story of Robert Scott's quest to be the first man to reach the South Pole is told by a white pony. A much shorter parallel story is told of Roald Amundsen's successful journey to the same location. The hardships of the journey are detailed, from the harsh weather to whales breaking the ice to drown the ponies to the mercy killing of some of the ponies. This is not a story for gentle readers as there is much grief throughout the journey. But it is a wonderful tale of love between animal and m...more
The Winter Pony tells of the story of the race to be the first to the South Pole seen through the eyes of a white pony named James Brigg. A pony is born in the wilderness and the safety of his heard but one day men capture him and he only knows cruelty and hardness for the first eight years of his life. Then he gets sold to Captain Scott and is used to pull sleds in the desperate race to be the first to reach the South Pole before the captain's rival, Roald Amundensen. Will he reach the South Po...more
One of the saddest and most beautiful books about horses that I've read. Intrigued by the lovely cover, as well as the interesting subject matter - two teams racing to be the first to reach the South Pole a century ago, I couldn't help but shake my head in disgust at the men who thought horses would do well in such an environment.
Told from the point of view of a Mongolian pony with the unlikely name of James Pigg, this is a mostly accurate account of what actually happened on this doomed trip. T...more
Told from the point of view of a Mongolian pony with the unlikely name of James Pigg, this is a mostly accurate account of what actually happened on this doomed trip. T...more
Ages 10-14. This is a pony's-eye-view of Robert Scott's race to the South Pole. I didn't think I'd like this story, but I love Iain Lawrence's other books, so I thought I'd give it a try. And I barely minded that an animal was telling the story. If you know your Pole history, you know this story ends badly, and it's not a gentle read. Sensitive animal lovers will not enjoy it. But I thought it was interesting to learn the details of this quest through the eyes of a loyal and dedicated beast of b...more
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As I've come to expect from Iain Lawrence, this is a beautifully written and beautifully told story. It's a fascinating, little-covered aspect of history, told from a very unique perspective- a pony's point of view. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it's such a heartbreaking story. The deaths of the ponies may be difficult for sensitive readers to handle, but as a read-aloud or read-together book, I think children will be enthralled with this story.
Sad and haunting. It's weird that Iain Lawrence isn't better known. I was a huuuuge fan of his "The Wreckers" in grade school and so I picked this one up despite not really knowing anything about the subject matter and not really caring for pony stories in general
GOOD IDEA. Srsly, you should read it. The subject matter is Captain Scott's ill-fated race to the South Pole told through the eyes of one of the ponies he took with him, and it's fantastic.
The first fifty pages are maybe a *tiny* bit ch...more
GOOD IDEA. Srsly, you should read it. The subject matter is Captain Scott's ill-fated race to the South Pole told through the eyes of one of the ponies he took with him, and it's fantastic.
The first fifty pages are maybe a *tiny* bit ch...more
Wow, I stayed up all night listening to this. A story about Scott’s fatal expedition to the south pole and his use of ponies to pull his heavy sleds, as told through the eyes of one of the ponies named “James Pigg”. There are a few humorous moments, but otherwise a very moving, sad story, but so very good.
A very moving book but slow paced. It tells the story of Scott's journey to the south pole through the eyes of one of his ponies. There is much hardship and it is a long journey with many perils. Warning: no happy ending. But the pony provides an interesting view point.
I was not expecting this book. Not the pony narrator, not the historical relevance. It left me scrambling to look up facts at the end (was that FOR REAL?!) and in awe of how the book worked(not to mention the journey). Listened to the audio and the narrators were just fantastic. I mean, nailing the voice of a pony? Audio gold.
South Pole Excursion told from the point of view of one of the working ponies. i thought it was an interesting read, but since everyone dies I an not sure who to recommend it too- horse lovers will be heartbroken!
Jul 27, 2012
Goat Girl
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
animals,
adventures
this is about the expedition to the pole and it is told in the prospective of a pony. It is sad because they end up killing/shooting the ponies and the hardships of the cold and suffering and suicide. :(
This book should be removed from the childrens section, it was the most depressing book I have ever read. If Children read this they will be scarred for life. War Horse was s comedy compared to this book :(
An excellent book and although it was rather depressing (ending) i did accept the fact that it was historical fiction and therefore not guaranteed to be a happy ending.
Mar 24, 2013
Jeff Whittingham
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-ve-read-in-2013
I really liked this book. As I told my daughter, it's like Black Beauty and War Horse - a sad book told from the perspective of the horse. It did make me want to read about the real South Pole expedition.
I'll give this one 2.5 stars. I think it gives children a good background and historical perspective of the discovery of the Antarctic. I think it would have been better if they included some of the actual events at the end of chapters a little more into the book. An interesting perspective, but in the realm of horse books, not quite as enjoyable as Black Beauty or Misty of Chincoteauge.
A story about explorers searching for the South Pole. Told through the eyes of a pony.
Nov 22, 2012
Mariah Smith
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
antarctica,
great-britain,
historical-fiction,
geography,
explorers,
history,
travel,
transportation,
horses,
technology,
united-kingdom
Excellent and tragic. This is a very interesting way to present a slice of history.
The pony tells the story of his capture, abuse and his struggle to get to the South Pole?
A truly "chilling" story from a pony's perspective to be the first to reach the pole.
It's a little sad but redeeming. Reading it with my 9 year old.
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Feb 02, 2012 02:08pm