A sweet picture book about the life of two young children and their animals on a farm. A gentle story about a pony who is suffering cruelty and neglect. The children make friends with the animal and eventually they take it home to their farm to care for it lovingly. The story is about kindness as the foundation of friendship as well as personal flourishing.

‍

This book is part of a series written by Heather Amery and illustrated by Stephen Cartwright known as the Farmyard Tales. All of the books in the series are worth having. The illustrations are loveable and memorable. For many of us, Stephen Cartwright’s drawings (particularly of the animals) are part of our beloved memories of childhood. The stories are gentle and simple, yet serious enough to be interesting. Each story is about the adventures of this same family that live on Apple Farm. Some of the stories are similar to other in the series, but younger children do not mind the repetition.

‍

The text is written to support literacy learning. Each page has a simpler sentence written in larger letters at the top. This is intended so that a young reader can read it. Each page also has a slightly longer more detailed piece of text for the adult to read. In this way adult and child read the story together. Sweet and loveable book overall.