Ponyella, by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans, is a retelling
of the fairy tale, Cinderella, with a pony representing Cinderella. This is a fun retelling, especially for
girls who love anything about horses and/or ponies!
Ponyella is living a charmed life until new owners bring
their ponies, Bun Bun and Plumpkin (the wicked stepsisters) to live on the
farm. They quickly make life
miserable for Ponyella. The story
turns when it’s announced that Princess Penelope is going to pick the winner of
a pony championship. Of course,
Ponyella is left behind when the other ponies leave for the show. Fortunately, her fairy godmare appears
to grant her wishes to go. Instead
of the traditional glass slippers, Ponyella receives sparkling diamond
horseshoes! As can be predicted,
the story has a happily ever after ending!
This is another great book to spur children’s writing and
storytelling skills. It’s fun to
compare this story with the traditional Cinderella fairy tale. One interesting thing we noted was that
the story ends with a look at Plumpkin and Bun Bunn after Ponyella is chosen
and says there’s another story. Because this book is by Laura Numeroff of the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series, we wonder if Plumpkin and Bun Bun may appear in
another book!
Have fun reading this with your children!
*What’s your favorite part of this story?
*How does Ponyella compare to Cinderella?
*How is Ponyella different from Cinderella?
*What kind of story could you write that’s based on
Cinderella?
