Ponyella
PreS-Gr 2-A sugary version of "Cinderella" for the "My Little Pony" (HarperCollins) set. Ponyella, whose coat is as white as a marshmallow, lives happily on her small farm, running and jumping as she pleases. But when the farm is sold, the new owner brings along his ponies, Plumpkin and Bun Bun. Ponyella now has to live in a small, smelly stall and pull a coal-filled cart all day. When it is announced that Princess Penelope is going to pick the winner of the Tippington 25th Annual Grand Royal Pony Championship, the step-ponies are groomed and driven to the show in a fancy trailer. Poor Ponyella, now as gray as a rain cloud from her sooty work, begins to cry. Suddenly, her fairy godmare appears and waves her wand, and Ponyella is beautifully groomed and wearing four diamond horseshoes. Of course, she is the star of the horse show, but when the clock strikes 12, she has to run, leaving a shoe behind so the traditional ending can happen. Munsinger does her best to make this bit of froth look good. Ponyella, Cooper, and the princess are charmingly drawn and the fairy godmare is surrounded with stars and pink cotton-candy clouds. The slight, predictable story may be enjoyed by girls who can't get enough of cutesy horse books, but most readers would be better off with one of the many other excellent versions of the story.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT (c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.