Alice O’Connell

The Blue Mare in the Olympic Trials

Little Brown, Boston, 1955, illus Paul Brown, 225 pp.

Civilians are now allowed to be in the Olympic team, and Pam’s friend Bill suggests she
try out for the team.  Pam has a rival in Mary Atwater; both for her place in the team, and
in Bill’s affections.

Pamela and the Blue Mare

Little Brown, Boston, 1952, illus Paul Brown, 217 pp.

Nine-year-old Pamela Paget is afraid of horses, although her family is heavily involved in the horse
world.  She goes to spend the summer on her grandfather’s farm, and agrees as long as she
doesn’t have to go near a horse. A filly is born, and when her mother is too weak to care for her,
the filly is brought into the house to be nursed. Pamela falls for the foal, and when she returns to
her mother, has to overcome her fear.  Pamela gradually learns to ride while she waits for Frosty
to be old enough to back, but then her grandfather is offered a lot of money for Frosty....

Alice Louise O’Connell (1907-  )  wrote two horse books about Pamela, and her mare, Frosty Morning.  Both titles are stratospherically expensive when compared with the average horse book:  as far as I can tell, neither was reprinted, and both are lavishly illustrated by Paul Brown, with double page illustrations.  The Paul Brown factor usually means a price hike.  

Alice O’Connell was born in Minneapolis and lived in Minnesota, from which university she studied for a Masters in education.  She worked as the Head of Aquatics and Instructor of Physical Education at Winthrop College in South Carolina, and was known for breeding and judging AKC Norwegian Elkhounds.

Many thanks to Lisa Catz and Amanda Dolby for the photographs.

Finding the books:  both books are extremely expensive.  Neither was were published in the UK.

Sources and links:

An excellent review of Pamela and the Blue Mare

Bibliography - horse books only

Pamela

Pamela and the Blue Mare

The Blue Mare in the Olympic Trials