Janet Randall

Saddles for Breakfast

David McKay, New York, 1961, 186 pp, illus Paul Laune

There is also a Book Club edition, presumably printed around the same time.  It has the same cover
art and illustrations as the original.  

A review of Saddles for Breakfast on the Pony Book Chronicles 

The blurb:

“Robin Marshall was delighted at the chance to have a respite from her large, befuddling family and take a summer
job at her cousin’s riding academy in California.  What she found was a far cry from her expectations. For reasons
she could not fathom at first, the place had lost its former prestige. The fences needed mending, the horses needed
currying, and its clientele--now switched over to a rival, showier stable--needed to be won back. To make it worse,
Robin’s surly cousin, Butch, showed nothing but enmity toward her, and Cora, his mother, distrusted her ability to
handle the horses or do anything beyond household chores.

Because Robin had a genuine love of horses and riding and a willingness to work, her cousins soon acknowledged her for the real horsewoman she was. But they all knew hard work wasn’t enough to get the place on its feet again. This was where Robin’s penchant for making friends, her flair for publicity and knack for teaching young riders all came to the forefront.  At summer’s end, just as an exultant Robin was headed back home toward her familiar school and a more appreciated family, came a new emergency. But by now Robin knew that one began to grow up by accepting responsibilities and she made the hard decision. There would be friends to help her -- Paula, her best friend, the handsome Guy Kennedy; and all the girls of the newly organized CurryComb Cub.”

Janet Randall  (1919- )wrote books both under her own name, and co-authored with her husband, credited as by “Bob and Jan Young”.  Jan Randall was the daughter of a newspaper editor,and was born in the Mojave desert town of Lancaster, California.  The family moved to suburban Los Angeles, but Janet was able to learn to ride during weekends and holidays spent on a ranch in the Big Tujunga Canyon of the Sierra Madres.  She rode with a drill team performing at local parades and horse shows in San Diego.

She stuied at the University of California, and there met her husband, Robert W. Young.  She married him in 1940, and while he published or edited weekly newspapers, she wrote occasional columns until having children put a stop to her newspaper career.  Both husband and wife then worked as freelance writers, publishing work on “any subject they found saleable.”  Their children did not share their parents’ interest in newspapers, their chief interest being mathematics.  History does not relate whether the horse gene skipped them too.  Many thanks to Susan Bourgeau for all her help with this page.

Finding the books:  None of the books were published in the UK, and are difficult to find here.  They are however pretty easy to find in the USA.  Miracle of Sage Valley, was not, at the time of writing, easy to find.

Sources and links:

Dustjacket of Saddles for Breakfast

Bibliography - horse books only

Jellyfoot

David McKay, New York, 1964, illus Emil Weiss. 184 pp.

Lori lives with her parents in a remote Californian canyon. She is not allowed to have a horse as the family have
no corral, so she makes do with the Ranger’s horses. One day a horse turns up which has been abandoned by
its owners, and which is free to anyone who can catch it. Lori does. To her surprise, it is Kit, the foster sister
with whom she does not get on, who helps her build a corral, and the two girls learn to pull together.

Pony Girl

David McKay, New York, 1963, illus Dorothy Bayley Morse. 151 pp.

Eleven-year-old Peg Warmack lives on a ranch in Nevada; her widower father is an ex-rodeo champion, who is
away trying to earn money following the circuit. When he returns he has a new wife. Maida, the new wife, and the
children want Mr Warmack to give up the rodeo, so persuade him to take on a pony ride concession. The ponies
however are sick and starving. The new school is a problem too.

Burro Canyon

David McKay, New York, 1964, illus Richard W Lewis (frontis), 183 pp.

Cara comes to live on a sheep ranch located in Burro Canyon. Once there was a herd of burros, but now
there are just nine left. No one save for Cara seems to be worried about the fate of the burros. They are
elusive. Cara becomes their defender, but is up against. wild dogs, careless hunters, and a cruel cowboy.

Buffalo Box

David McKay, New York, 1969, illus Ursula Koering, 120 pp.

A story of the Nez Pearce, who in 1877 were ordered to leave their lands for a smaller reservation. Opposed to
the move, the tribe packed up their possessions and underwent a 2,000 mile journey, trying to reach the safety
of Canada. The story is told from the point of view of a fictional girl from the tribe, 12 year old  Willow Girl, who
is asked to carry the “Buffalo Box“ and its contents.

Miracle of Sage Valley

Longmans, Green, New York, 1958, illus Brinton Turkle, 185 pp.

Pat didn’t want to be sent to a dude ranch for the summer; she wanted to visit her father. However, once there, she
settled down, refound her love of riding and enjoyed her summer.