There is just so much to love about The Princess and the Pony, that my brain and my typey-fingers are stumbling over themselves about where to begin.
For starters, the princess of the title, Princess Pinecone, is not a frilly dress-wearing, matrimonially inclined couch swooner. She’s a warrior. Her birthday is coming up, and what she wants more than anything is a warrior’s steed.
Unfortunately for Pinecone, the steed with which she is presented is not quite what she had in mind.
She accepts this gift, despite it’s deficiencies because “you can’t say no to a birthday present”, and trains it up for a big upcoming battle.
The battle is fought with spitballs, pool noodles, and people getting fired out of cannons. This in itself is pretty delightful, but not as delightful as the unexpected effect that the ludicrously plump, skew-eyed, farting pony has on the fierce warriors she confronts.
A lot of big burly blokes, and hard-ass fightin’ ladies learn that sometimes “showing their cuddly sides” can be just as much fun as a big biff-up.
Beaton’s uniquely expressive illustrations will be as appealing to grown ups as they are to kids (especially if said grown ups have been fans of her other work). I particularly love the diverse range of characters she depicts, and the deliberate yet easy way she includes women, people of colour, and a whole variety of body shapes.
Me - Did you like this book?
Arty - Yep.
Me - What did you like most about it?
Arty - The farting.
Me - What else did you like?
Arty - More farting.
Me - Good talk, son.
This is a very worthy addition to our library. And not just because of the farts.
(Get your own copy here.)