A delightful story in Emily’s own words.Emily Pope is Thirteen years old and lives near the South Downs. Ever since she can remember she has dreamt of owning her own pony. The pony will be her best friend and they will share many adventures together. Emily’s parents think she is too young for the responsibility of owning a pony and needs to gain more experience before they will consider it. So … it. So the adventure begins. Emily starts work at the nearby riding stables, works hard and learns everything she can. Will her parents relent when they see how single minded she is? Will Emily find her dream pony? This story will touch the heart of any child who loves ponies and take them on a delightful journey. There will be tears, laughter and joy along the way. Will it be worth it in the end? 50% of any profit from the sale of this book will be donated to animal rescue charities and animal rescue organisations.
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Today is the day. My first riding lesson. This is the day I’ve been dreaming and waiting for. Jodie asks me to “tack up” Matty, and to make sure I’m ready to meet Mrs Evans in the indoor school at two o’clock sharp.
Meet Emily Pope. Living near the South Downs, this pony-mad teenager has dreamt of owning her own pony since forever. The story is told in first-person, present tense but interestingly will sometimes zoom out to give an omnipresent third-person perspective. I was immediately reminded of the easy-reading style adapted by some of the classic tales in the iconic D C Thompson comics so prevalent in the last century and alas, so notable by their absence today. It is the kind of layout kids of all ages will love to read.
A great storyline, Emily’s parents, thinking she is too young for the responsibility of owning a pony arrange for her to work at Mrs Evans’s riding school so she can gain more first-hand experience. A brilliantly crafted character I couldn’t help but chuckle at Emily’s cheekiness and off-beat sense of humour. I particularly liked her vision of arriving home resembling an orang-utan after carrying so many buckets of water. It is not just her sense of humour that comes through though, I really liked Emily’s enthusiasm and work ethic. Indeed, the book as well as being a great educational tool for all pony-mad children (who knew for example ponies needed to have a special individually tailored diet) is in many ways a showcase for the old Latin proverb Labora Omnia Vincit, and a turn of phrase on Virgil’s classic “omnia vincit amor”. For example, early in the book we are introduced to Ballerina or Bella for short. Rescued from a negligent owner and very untrusting, we see a story unfold where Emily demonstrates not just the commitment, hard work, love and devotion it takes to look after a pony, but the engaging narrative ensures the readers feel they are standing with her and sharing in the rewards, fun, love and laughter such an incredible human and pony bond bring.
In conclusion, Emily is a most excellent role model for teenagers and The Adventures of Bella and Emily is a finely-written example of inspirational children’s literature that will both empower and educate kids from the age of 5 to 105. I won’t give away any more details. Suffice to say (and I’m sure I might have said this before): mums and dads – buy this book! Teachers and after school clubs – buy this book! Librarians – buy this book! Grandparents – buy this book! And kids, if they still haven’t got the message – tell them all to buy this book!
Impressive
The story is about Bella and Emily, a girl and her pony. The author puts her all into this story, and her real life passion about saving ponies is shown in the story. It’s not just about adventure or storytelling, it’s sharing information about how to take care of a pony and that it’s not as simple as putting one in a stable and taking it for a ride. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful story and very heart warming. I think readers of all ages would enjoy this story.