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The Sad Pony
When Linda Brooks breaks her leg, she's no longer able to care for Rosie, her lively Shetland pony. Animal Rescue agrees to help find Rosie a perfect new home, but it's not easy. Could one of Ella's bright ideas save the day?
128 pages, Paperback
Published September 4, 2018
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 10, 2022
The Sad Pony is a short children’s book by the prolific English author Jenny Oldfield, writing as Tina Nolan. It is in the “Animal Rescue” series of books, and similar in style to the popular Holly Webb books. The book has ten short chapters, and is suitable for children aged 7 to about 9.
All the stories in the series are set in an animal rescue shelter called “Animal Magic”. The shelter is run by Heidi and Mark Harrison, their two children Eva and Karl Harrison and their grandfather Jimmy, plus the veterinary assistant Jen.
The story begins with Heidi and Mark Harrison just leaving for a holiday. Our focus is on Eva, who is about the same age as the readers, or perhaps a little older. The Harrisons’ next-door neighbour, Linda Brooks, has a Shetland pony, Rosie, which she has adopted from the shelter, but who now oddly seems to be quite a handful. This puzzles Eva, as when Rosie lived at “Animal Magic” she was a friendly biddable pony, and Linda is a kind owner. But then Linda slips on some ice trying to look after Rosie, and breaks her leg, so she is unable to look after Rosie any more. The shelter sadly agree to take Rosie back, and advertise for a new home for the very frisky pony.
As we follow the daily activities of the animal rescue shelter, we gradually learn just why the Shetland pony is misbehaving, and there is a happy solution. Eva also has a brilliant idea which will not only find a new home for Rosie, but also reap a lot of advertising and support for Animal Magic.
The Sad Pony is written in simple language with two or three pencil drawings interspersed within each chapter. It can be read as a standalone story, without having read any of the others in the series. However, the first chapters may be a little confusing, as there are several ongoing characters in the books. Therefore the second half of the story flows much better, and gets quite exciting.
Jenny Oldfield has written numerous series of animal books for children, using several other pseudonyms, including Jasmine Oliver, Donna King, Kate Fielding, Kate Pennington, and Sable Hamilton. She has also written for the “Animal Ark” series, along with several other authors, under the name Lucy Daniels. Originally born and brought up in Harrogate, Yorkshire, she says that even as a child she wrote stories and made tiny books, complete with illustrations. She now writes novels for both children and adults, and seems to have almost cornered the market for this type of adventure story. Her books are solidly if unimaginatively written, and are quick reads: page-turners for any children of the right age who love animals. They also include a little useful information on animal welfare by way of the story.
All the stories in the series are set in an animal rescue shelter called “Animal Magic”. The shelter is run by Heidi and Mark Harrison, their two children Eva and Karl Harrison and their grandfather Jimmy, plus the veterinary assistant Jen.
The story begins with Heidi and Mark Harrison just leaving for a holiday. Our focus is on Eva, who is about the same age as the readers, or perhaps a little older. The Harrisons’ next-door neighbour, Linda Brooks, has a Shetland pony, Rosie, which she has adopted from the shelter, but who now oddly seems to be quite a handful. This puzzles Eva, as when Rosie lived at “Animal Magic” she was a friendly biddable pony, and Linda is a kind owner. But then Linda slips on some ice trying to look after Rosie, and breaks her leg, so she is unable to look after Rosie any more. The shelter sadly agree to take Rosie back, and advertise for a new home for the very frisky pony.
As we follow the daily activities of the animal rescue shelter, we gradually learn just why the Shetland pony is misbehaving, and there is a happy solution. Eva also has a brilliant idea which will not only find a new home for Rosie, but also reap a lot of advertising and support for Animal Magic.
The Sad Pony is written in simple language with two or three pencil drawings interspersed within each chapter. It can be read as a standalone story, without having read any of the others in the series. However, the first chapters may be a little confusing, as there are several ongoing characters in the books. Therefore the second half of the story flows much better, and gets quite exciting.
Jenny Oldfield has written numerous series of animal books for children, using several other pseudonyms, including Jasmine Oliver, Donna King, Kate Fielding, Kate Pennington, and Sable Hamilton. She has also written for the “Animal Ark” series, along with several other authors, under the name Lucy Daniels. Originally born and brought up in Harrogate, Yorkshire, she says that even as a child she wrote stories and made tiny books, complete with illustrations. She now writes novels for both children and adults, and seems to have almost cornered the market for this type of adventure story. Her books are solidly if unimaginatively written, and are quick reads: page-turners for any children of the right age who love animals. They also include a little useful information on animal welfare by way of the story.
October 15, 2023
We are so proud of you for reading "The Sad Pony" by Tina Nolan. The book teaches us that empathy and kindness can change someone's life, even if someone is a sad pony.
You learned that sometimes animals, like people, need extra attention and love to be happy. When we show care, we can make a big difference in their lives.
Keep on reading and growing, my dear.
Love,
Father & Mother
You learned that sometimes animals, like people, need extra attention and love to be happy. When we show care, we can make a big difference in their lives.
Keep on reading and growing, my dear.
Love,
Father & Mother
July 1, 2025
What's with all the unnecessary names?
The parents didn't need to go away, they could have run the charity.
Mum, dad, and granddad all could have just been called that instead of using their names, since the story is all from a girl's perspective.
And all the animals had human names too, despite not being important to the story.
The parents didn't need to go away, they could have run the charity.
Mum, dad, and granddad all could have just been called that instead of using their names, since the story is all from a girl's perspective.
And all the animals had human names too, despite not being important to the story.
September 15, 2022
I read this with my 7 year old daughter. It took us a long time to finish simply because it didn't hold our interest at all. It was very slow and uneventful.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews