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.
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.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Feb 4, 2025 |
| Specifications | 36 pages | 10.25 in x 8.625 in |
| Keywords | natural world; wonder of nature; beauty in nature; great outdoors; landscapes; country living; rural and farm life; chores; mothers and daughters; women and girls; |
| Written By |
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. |
| Illustrated by |
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. |
| Written By |
|
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. |
| Illustrated by |
|
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. |
| Audience | ages 3 to 6 / grades P to 1 |
| Key Text Features | illustrations |
| Common Core | CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3 |
Gracefully eloquent ... A lovely, lyrical depiction of friendship.
” —Kirkus ReviewsThe 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