
Here Comes the Bride: Katie
Bantam Books, 2007, £3.99
Rating: ««
An already lengthy series: I can’t believe that there won’t be more. Katie Price’s
books are about a group of girls who ride at Vicki’s Riding School. The books are
aimed, shamelessly, at girls: the covers are bright Barbie pink with silvery trimmings
and a sub-
Katie Price I know does have horses of her
own, and she knows her stuff. Random House, the publishers, have a
The only thing that emerges from the sludge
is the insistence that one can be glam and still horsey. And isn't there enough stress
on girls to look good already? Neat and workmanlike was how I was supposed to look
when I was a horsey girl; at least when I was with the ponies I was well away from
my parents' insistence that I "make the best of myself", and school's hawkeye inspection
of you to see if you were up to getting a Deportment Girdle (No). In these books,
Vicki, the owner of the riding stables "smiled, revealing her perfect white teeth.
With her slim figure, thick dark hair, tanned skin and stunning silver-
The illustrations don't help any desire the books might
have for quality. Dynamo Design, who were responsible, have gone all out for cuteness.
They have sub Bratz heroines, ponies from the dumpy Plasticene school of modelling
and a complete disregard for accuracy. The riders' toes are all pointing firmly downwards,
the saddles are utterly unlike any saddle I've ever seen; there are ponies being
groomed loose, and standing there cheerfully in their stables with wide open doors.
As of course they do.
I'm not usually a stickler for health and safety -
Katie Price
Katie Price (aka Jordan) is much better known for other things than she is for her
writing career. Her books are ghost-
Tim Teenan of The Times describes the covers of the series as “enough to rot your teeth.” I did wonder, bearing in mind that KP has now gone brunette, whether they’d change her picture on the series. No. As for the contents, the stories are adequate: if linguistic style is your thing, they are not “well good”. I heartily dislike their concentration on their heroines’ appearance, and the illustrations are appalling.
Katie Price’s Perfect Ponies
Here Comes the Bride (2007)
Little Treasures (2007)
Fancy Dress Ponies (2007)
Pony Club Weekend (2007)
The New Best Friend, 2008
Ponies to the Rescue, 2008
Star Ponies, 2008
Ponies ‘n’ Pooch, 2008
The following are announced but not yet out
Pony in Disguise, 2008
Stage Fright, 2009
