Review Detail

This book is perfection. I am a sucker for warrior women, and Kate Beaton delivers in her newest picture book, The Princess and the Pony.

Princess Pinecone has been waiting for her birthday, and this year she’s determined to become a REAL warrior with a REAL horse. But when her parents give her a pony, she’s positive that she will never become the fighter she’s destined to be.

I loved the illustrations, and for anyone who’s already fallen in love with Kate Beaton’s Hark A Vagrant! Series, you already know what talent waits between the pages. The characters are unique, full of vibrancy and life, and just a dash of crazy. Especially the pony. Beaton is able to capture the movement of a loud, unruly community of warriors, all while doing so in a way that adds softness to their feisty edges.

While the colors and characters are a testament to Beaton’s craft, the storyline goes above and beyond stereotypes and gives readers an alternative princess. Pinecone is a fighter, but she’s small and doesn’t have a regal steed to carry her into battle. What she lacks in stature she makes up for in spirit, and the same could be said for her pony. What Princess Pinecone comes to discover however, is that sometimes it’s the unexpected things in life that help us succeed. Pinecone believes her pony is a weak link in her warrior abilities. She soon discovers, however, that both she and her pony possess some unique talents that help the warriors express their “softer sides.”

This book is fun-filled read that reminds readers we each have something special to bring to the table, and that being different is sometimes a strength in disguise.