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Junior
Usborne
Paperback £3.99
ISBN: 0746060181
Reviewed by Jane Robinson
[Armadillo 6.4 Winter 2004]
Stories about princesses and ponies have delighted little girls since the dawn of time, so to find both subjects within the same book is a sure guarantee of success. This series of six books about "The Pony-Mad Princess" by Diana Kimpton is therefore certain to entertain and entrance young female readers. But it is also well-written and enjoyable for anyone wishing to read to a pony-mad listener.
Diana Kimpton's main character, Princess Aurelia (but she prefers to be called Ellie) is a charming, fun-loving girl. She is not in the least interested in having to behave like a princess, meeting prime ministers and eating huge banquets with her parents, the King and Queen. She would far prefer to be outside with the horses, covered in mud, mucking out the stables, or grooming her favourite horse Sundance.
In "Princess Ellie to the Rescue" we are introduced to Ellie, her mysterious friend Kate, Meg at the stables, and of course Sundance. When Sundance goes missing, the girls are in a tight spot, and immediately have to launch a rescue mission. Then, in "Princess Ellie's Secret" the girls have to come up with a plan to stop Ellie's first pony, Shadow, from being sold. In the third book Princess Ellie has to solve a puzzle...why will Rainbow not go down the spooky woodland path?
The series continues with "Princess Ellie's Starlight Adventure" in which strange hoofprints appear on the palace lawn. In book five, Ellie and Kate are enjoying pony camp when mysterious noises disturb them in the night. And finally, there is a "Surprise for Princess Ellie" when she and her friends set off on an adventure.
These books are easy to read, and with frequent simple drawings to keep up the interest, they will undoubtedly encourage a young reader on the cusp of reading 'chapter books' to herself. A pony-mad child will happily tackle the odd page, even if reading is still an effort. The stories flow from one to the other quite naturally, especially since the first chapter of the next one is published at the end of each story. Princess Ellie's sparkling and somewhat mysterious adventures are highly likely to start a good deal of reading beneath pink duvets in horsey bedrooms.