Ponies, ponies, ponies
Above
Picture of Nancy Caffrey and her illustrator Jeanne Mellin. They were childhood friends. The picture is taken from Somebody’s Pony.
The Jan & Jay Series
Somebody’s Pony
Show Pony
Horse Haven
Penny’s Worth
Dutton, New York, 1952, illus Jeanne Mellin, 120 pp.
“The old bay riding school pony Penny wants more than anything to be privately owned, and
her dream comes true when the Dawsons buy her for their young son to learn to ride on.”
Mig o’ the Moor
Dutton, New York, 1953, illus Jeanne Mellin, 158 pp.
A mystical stallion helps Danny overcome his fear of racing. Set, I think, in Ireland.
Somebody’s Pony
E P Dutton, New York, 1951, illus Jeanne Mellin, 72 pp.
As Lost Pony
Scholastic, New York, 1966, 64 pp
Jan and Jay find a lost pony and they school it for an
upcoming horse show in an attempt to find its owner.
Non fiction
Scene from the Saddle
E P Dutton & Co, New York, 1958, photos by A L “Budd” Waintrob, 89 pp.
“ A boy enters his horse in a local horse show, and the book follows the
preparation and the show itself, starting with filling out the entries, cleaning tack,
preparing horse and rider, the show, and an exciting article in the newspaper
afterwards.”
Show Pony
Dutton, New York, 1954, illus Paul Brown, 88 pp.
Right: first edition dj
Far right: internal illustration
Jan and Jay buy a green and neglected three-
train her to be as good a show pony as their pony Top Honor.
Horse Haven
Dutton, New York, 1955, illus Paul Brown, 93 pp.
Right: first edition dj
Far right: internal illustration
“Jan and Jay ignore their show ponies when a
neglected old horse is brought to their farm to recover
from an abusive owner, and after they begin to ride the
horse, they find out that he’ll jump a natural fence but
refuses show ring fences.”
Hanover’s Wishing Star
Dutton, New York, 1956, 124 pp.
Hanover’s Wishing Star is essentially a non-
with photos. “Karen Ann McGuire wants a horse badly, and when she learns that the
racehorse Nashua and his stablemates are to be auctioned off, she writes to the bank in
charge explaining that if there is any horse that no one else wants to buy, she would like
to bid $24.03 on it!”
Pony Duet
Dutton, New York, 1957, illus Ronnie Mutch, 91 pp.
UK: J M Dent & Sons, 1959, illus Ronnie Mutch, 91 pp.
Reprinted J M Dent,1960
“Right when Cathy is thinking about giving up riding completely her
Aunt Myla Lee sends her a skewbald pony named Duet, and riding
this calm little mare helps restore Cathy’s confidence.”
Bibliography -
