Overview

A girl and her mother watch an unusual friendship develop between a solitary starling and a lonely pony. The gray pony lives in the green pasture beside the barn. One day, the girl and her mother see a flock of starlings wheel over the field. When the flock moves on, one bird remains behind -- perched on the fence, near the pony. As summer moves into autumn, the girl watches as the pony and the starling become constant companions, sharing grain, water and shade. When the days get colder, the girl begins to wonder -- what will happen when winter arrives? A blizzard blows in ... and the starling vanishes. Is this the end of a special friendship? And what will the spring bring? The Pony and the Starling is a gentle story of changing seasons and an unlikely but enduring friendship. Key Text Features illustrations Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

Full Product Details

9798855181005

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Reviews

""The Pony and the Starling is a great read-aloud picture book. ... It invites discussion with both the text and the illustrations and will leave the audience with warm fuzzies."" -- Miramichi Reader ""Gracefully eloquent ... A lovely, lyrical depiction of friendship."" -- Kirkus Reviews ""The illustrations ... work beautifully with the spare yet lyrical narrative to tell a simple story that is more than the sum of its parts. A handsome picture book introducing rural life and an unusual animal friendship."" -- Booklist

Author Information

JENNIFER MCGRATH is an award-winning author whose books include Pugs Cause Traffic Jams, illustrated by Kathryn Durst; The Snow Knows, illustrated by Josée Bisaillon, winner of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award; and the middle grade book Chocolate River Rescue, winner of the Hackmatack Award. She lives in Hillsborough, New Brunswick, with her partner, two dogs and pony. KRISTINA JONES is a freelance artist and illustrator whose first book, The Amazing African Animal Alphabet, was nominated for an IBBY SA Picture Book Illustrator Award. She has worked as a creative arts educator in both Ukraine and Eswatini, and now lives in British Columbia.

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