Ponies of Mykillengi
Lonzo Anderson ~ Adrienne Adams
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1966
How did spring arrive when I still have a little pile of snow books stacked here on my desk to review? Darn. Well, since I know for a fact that it did snow somewhere yesterday (New Jersey), I guess one last winter-themed book wouldn't hurt anyone. And since the first spring-themed book I did was an Adams, it seems only right to let her close out the season. Plus, it's always kinda sorta winter in Iceland, yes? And that's exactly where we are in this book. Iceland. When two young siblings go out into the snow for a pony ride, oddly enough, it's an earthquake that starts them on an adventure.
The world seems empty. No tree or fence, no road or living thing can the children see in any direction. The next farm is miles and miles away. Suddenly the earth trembles and rumbles. Rauf shouts, "Earthquake!" The ponies' heads jerk high and their ears point. Their eyes roll, white around the edges. They are young and have never heard or felt an earthquake before, although in Iceland such things often happen.
Beneath them, a crack in the earth appears, thwarting their ability to get home. Their quiet conflict includes a blizzard, a pony birth and a volcano, all illustrated in hushed, warm tones. 
Quite the little epic for a picture book, and it mirrors the look and feel of Robert McCloskey's stunner Time of Wonder. If you enjoy the quiet chaos of that story, you'll appreciate this one. Which reminds me... so many books, so little time.
Also by:The Day We Saw the Sun Come Up
Mr. Biddle and the Birds
A Woggle of Witches
The Wounded Duck
The Easter Egg Artists
Butterfly Time
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4 comments:
Was just about to place an order with Amazon for picture books for the family's little ones--I think I'll revise the order and include this title, too!Thanks :-)
It's amazing how the soft drawings of this book (I mean their naive composition) tell us about an earthquake and the forces of the nature, wich are always seen as something terrible. I'd love to read it someday
This was a book I loved as a child. I remembered the illustrations but not the title or author for years. So glad to have found it again. It is remarkably beautiful.
I've been trying to find this book for several years, but I couldn't remember the title or the author. I used to check this out from my local library as a child. Thank you!
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