What You Need to Know:
• The Sneaky Pony Series is a warm and appealing set of books with a vintage quality.
• This is the perfect series for the horse/pony obsessed little girl, although should not be limited to the equine set, as
all little girls will enjoy these sweet stories.
• Keeker is an only child and is about 9 yrs old in this series, though she ages a bit as the series progresses. She
reaches the age of 10 1/2 in the latest installment.
• What is nice about the protaganist being a bit older is that struggling readers, who get discouraged that they can only
read "baby books" won't feel that way when the girl they are reading about is older, yet still the text (and content!) is
simple enough that they can be successful.
• With the fourth in the series, you will have noticed an illustrator change. No big changes with the look of the
illustrations, they are just a tenny bit more modern, and still very appealing. |
Sweet Series Background:
Keeker is a young girl who lives on a farm in Vermont with her mom and dad. She wishes for a pony, and one day, Plum, the very sneaky pony arrives. Being an only child, Keeker is thrilled to have a playmate all to herself. She won't be lonely anymore! They will do so much together and have so much fun. Plum, however, was very happy on her old farm, lazing about and eating berries. Plum has no idea who this pesky girl and why she always wants to ride her and play with her. We hear Plum's thoughts in her head, as we would a human character.
This series is about their adventures together. They are actually two little bossy characters, and their adventures together are a long series of amusing conflicts and compromises. The illustrations are really appealing. They are pen and ink, and have a vintage quality to them.
The setting is a farm in Vermont, which also feels vintage. In all the books so far, Plum and Keeker spend the day figuring out what to do on their own. There are no soccer games, piano lessons, or the like. Just a girl and her pony, entertaining themselves! Imaging that...what a great example to show our (mostly) over-scheduled children (mine included!). |
Sweet Book Summary:
Keeker is turning 11 in this new adventure, Keeker and the Crazy, Upside-Down Birthday. In this latest installment, Keeker is getting bigger and older, maybe even too big for her sneaky little pony, Plum. We meet a new neighbor named Zoe, who is younger than Keeker and just about the right size for Plum. When Keeker's parents mention that maybe they should buy a bigger pony for Keeker, she resists, and hatches a plan to sneak away with Plum in the middle of the night. But Keeker's parents hear her get up, with a little help from Goatie, and stop her. They explain if Keeker gets a new, bigger pony, they would still keep Plum. And, with new neighbor Zoe being a pony-lover and just the right size...
Again, lots of adventure for little minds, but nothing too scary. Not sure where the Keeker series is headed, with the introduction of a new pony, Pebble. But we are looking forward to finding out! |
Author: Hadley Higginson Illustrator: Lisa Perrett Published: 2008, 56
Themes: Adventure, Animals, Friendship, Exquisite Illustrations |
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Capture the Flag
