The Princess and the Pony

Very cute and engaging. My daughters LOVE princesses (and a little potty humor) and I love that this princess is a warrior. Overall, this book is well written, the illustrations adorable, and I would recommend this book.

UPDATE: (10/07/2016) Received information that she absolutely LOVES this book. She reads it to my other sister and is quoting from the book. Wasn't sure when I bought it if it was below her reading level, but I'm glad that it wasn't! Enjoyable story and would purchase again if given the opportunity!

Cute story for my littlest sister who is turning 8. I watched a "read-along" on YouTube that took about 8 minutes.
Tells the tale of this little princess warrior who only gets cozy sweaters for her birthday, but this year she wants a horse fit for a warrior only to get a derpy roly poly pony. At this great warrior battle the princess shows up with her pony and suddenly everyone turns to goo over this itty bitty pony. Turns out the big broodish, burly warriors all want to have cutesy, cuddly sweaters and ponies too. And the little pony is so overwhelmingly happy that he poots.
To me, it was a nice little story of being grateful and appreciative for what you are given.

Princess Pinecone is not your typical princess. She lives in a land filled with warriors and her deepest desire is to be the fiercest warrior of all. Each year for her birthday she hopes for a shield, helmet, or amulet to help her in her endeavor, but receives a lot of cozy sweaters instead. This birthday, Princess Pinecone wishes for a horse made for a champion. Unfortunately, her parents give her a plump cross-eyed pony that farts too much. During a battle amongst the warriors, Princess Pinecone is charged by Otto the Awful, the most fearsome fighter of all, but in a surprise ending her pony proves to be more helpful than Pinecone originally believes.

Filled with Kate Beaton’s quirky sense of humor and comical illustrations it is almost impossible not to laugh out loud while reading this book. It is definitely not your usual princess book and will be enjoyed by both girls and boys. My five-year-old son loves this book and begged to read it night after night.

This is an adorable book with more than one positive message and many words that expand a child's vocabulary. In a kingdom of warriors (Game of Thrones done sweetly) Princess Pinecone doesn't want a cuddly sweater for her birthday like she usually get. Most warrior get fields, amulet and helmets decorated with horns. She wants a horse. A big, fast horse. What her parents come up with is a short, round, cross-eyed pony given to flatulence. "But you can't say no to a birthday present" (good lesson!) and Princess Pinecone tries to read her pony for an upcoming battle. Wild antics ensue that are illustrated with wit by author Kate Beaton. Awful the Otto charges toward them. Pinecone fumbles..she becomes flabbergasted, flummoxed and floored. (This book is loaded with colorful new words.) And...there's a great ending, but lest I spoil the story, you won't read it hear.

This is fine fiction for the 2-6 crowd and a book an adult will love to read. While it's about a princess, boys will like this book as well as girls. Bravo, Scholastic, for publishing THE PRINCESS AND THE PONY and choosing a color palette that doesn't include purple an pink.

Princess Pinecone has been getting some less than stellar presents for her birthdays, so this year she makes it super clear exactly what she wants - a steed worthy of a valiant warrior. She technically gets what she asks for, a pony, but it doesn't exactly look like a battle-worthy steed. Still, Princess Pinecone is determined to turn this pony into a fighter. At the yearly battle, they enter the fray only to discover that Princess Pinecone's unlikely pony has a secret weapon.

Quite humorous, and has a message about making the best of a situation even if it seems disappointing. (And also that tough guys/gals often have secret soft sides.) Beaton's illustration style isn't my favorite, but it works for this tale.

The Princess and the Pony
By: Kate Beaton

This book is packed with positive messages for young children. Kate Beaton takes the love of a princess and adds a humorous twist. As an elementary teacher, this book is a great read aloud that will have students rereading it during independent reading time.
Teaching Ideas:
*Synthesizing the lesson/moral…Being grateful for what you are given and making the most of it. Most children have been given a gift they didn’t really want and as teachers/parents we want to teach our children to say “Thank you” and be polite.
*Easy for young, transitional readers to read independently.
*Appeals to girls (princesses) and boys (a farting pony and warriors)
*Using parentheses to add internal thinking
*Using the various punctuation to guide readers’ fluency

Not only will the text make you laugh and provide for teachable topics but the illustrations are remarkable. They have the Middle Ages look with many modern features hidden within. I am excited to share this book with my second graders and add it to our classroom library.

This was a cute picture book set in viking times. Princess Pinecone is a young princess whose parents don’t seem to understand that she’s a warrior princess. They give her cozy sweaters instead of armor and warrior stuff.

I like how this book is about being yourself, and not what society says you are. It also shows that you can make the best out of any situation… and it has farting ponies ha ha ha. The illustrations have just the right amount of detail and they add to the humor in the story. The story isn’t about girls not being able to be warriors – there are plenty pictures in the illustrations. It’s just that Princess Pinecone’s seems to have been labeled more princess than warrior. The twist in the story (at the battle scene) was unexpected, and made me laugh. The book reminds me of one of those fractured fairy tale cartoons. Overall very cute story with a nice message.
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Princess Pinecone's birthday is coming up and she'd like to receive gifts that encourage her warrior side. Every birthday she receives sweaters and she's been wanting more martial gear. This year, she's asked for a warrior horse. But the pony she receives is far from what she'd been asking for -- round, cute, and relaxed, her pony is by no stretch a warrior horse.

Princess Pinecone isn't about to accept defeat and tries to train her pony to prepare for battle. When Princess Pinecone and Pony join the tournament, she's surprised to find a secret weapon of her own.

Fun with delightful pictures, The Princess and the Pony is a giggle inspiring read.

I'd never read anything by Kate Beaton before The Princess and the Pony.

I now own all of her children's library.

Stories that show girls doing "non-traditional girl things" are becoming more popular, but are still hard to come by. The worst princess is one of my favorites to read to my daughter, and The Princess and the Pony is a children's book in that same vein. A story of an 'nontraditional' princess, The Princess and the Pony tells the tale of Princess Pinecone and her desire to be a great warrior.

Through great art and an even better message, Beaton has created a real winner here. Her art is absolutely charming and my daughter is enthralled by it, and the message is a strong one for girls and boys alike.

Highly Recommended

Great book for kids! This delightful story is a unique, completely original tale that will be absolutely refreshing for parents and children alike. Witty, colorful and just the right amount of silly, "The Princess and the Pony" is really delightful. I bought this for my cousin who is 10, but after reading through it, I realized it would be a little bit better for my nieces who are ages 3 and 6. Each page has a few lines of text, so children under 8 will enjoy it best. You can also purchase a stuffed pony toy from her website to go with this book and create a complete gift! Check out her webcomic "Hark a Vagrant" in order to purchase that.

Princess Pinecone wants a pony but not just any horse She wants a strong powerful horse. Instead, she gets a small pony but they give her a small and round pony. Princess Pinecone wants to be a strong warrior but her pony makes her unlikely. The story is about how not to judge appearances.

The Princess and the Pony would prove everybody wrong. The writing is designed for very young readers and the illustrations come alive and colorful with a variety of colorful diverse characters. This is a delightful children's book about a princess and her pony in a faraway land. The pages are alive with color, design, and artwork to enhance the story.

A pony that farts, cozy sweaters, warriors that battle with spitballs and hairballs...this is no ordinary tale. I love the non-pink twist on princess, but be forewarned that this is a princess in training to become Captain Princess Pants. Yes, it made my children laugh hysterically, but what fart reference doesn't? Still...there is a certain charm to this mash-up of princess, birthday, medieval warfare, and cozy sweaters. To each her own. If you're tired of the same old princess books, then this is for you. If you're looking for high brow lit, this is not for you...or is it? Depends upon the level at which you read it. Enjoy.

This is the first book in our daughters large library by Kate Beaton and it will likely not be the last. It starts fairly typically, then gets odd and hilarious as the story of a little girl who just wants a horse so she can be a warrior turns into something else entirely. The illustrations are playful and while the story is silly, it has a lot of good messages including celebrating differences and making the best of something you might not have expected. It also has a fat pony that looks more like a large guinea pig that farts a lot (and everyone loves a good fart joke, right)?

This kid book is witty and funny, and adorably (with an edge) illustrated. My almost-four-year old thinks it's hilarious. She can relate to "the Princess," and the story provides a nice way to discuss how "you can't always get whatchya want, but if ya try sometimes, you find you get whatchya need!" as the Princess has to process her emotions and find a bright side when instead of a warrior's noble steed, she receives for her birthday a roly-poly (and flatulent) little pony. This book hits all the right notes without being sappy or heavy-handedly didactic.

I liked this book, and it actually fascinates my 2 year old as well. For the past week he has asked me to read it to him every night. (“Daddy, read Princess and Po-ny!”)

At first he just wanted to listen to the words. Now he actively scans the more detailed pages (with a lot going on in the background) and points at items (like things hanging on a wall) and asks questions. “what’s that?” (“uh, a poster of 3 warriors”) What’s that? (“a picture of her mommy and daddy”), “what’s that?” (“ah, I guess it is a couple of ticket takers at the battle event.”) Does he understand it all? No, he is a little young for this, but he enjoys it nonetheless.

So that is my first comment. The backgrounds are lush and detailed. A lot of care went into them, and they are fun to scan and find supporting story artifacts –like what sweaters are people wearing? What does the princess have in her bedroom? What are all the warriors doing during the big battle?

Second, the book is pretty funny. Having no prior knowledge of the author I didn’t know what to expect, and I found the book to be slightly dry and absurdist –which felt just about right for the young children reading this book. I did worry a little bit about the presumed violence that is mentioned and shown in one panel, but aside from that bit of awkwardness, everything works out in the end and it turns out to be a fun, well written story, which fights traditional stereotypes and which I feel will be a nice addition once again when my children are a little older and will ‘get’ different aspects of the book which are mysterious at present.

Finally, I like how the book doesn’t talk down to children. There is a good use of vocabulary in the book, and a couple of words I know I won’t be teaching them for years –but why not start early?

This book makes a nice gift as it is not traditional, and is quirky and fun. Recommended.

"The Princess and the Pony" by Kate Beaton tells the story of Princess Pinecone, who is not your ordinary princess. She wants to be a warrior and is tired of everyone giving her soft and cuddly presents like sweaters. This year, she has requested a real warrior's horse; what she gets is a pony that looks and acts nothing like a warrior's horse. The cute illustrations made both my granddaughter and me smile. The lesson learned on looking beyond appearances and appreciating what you have, is a good one. This is a charming story and I would recommend it.

If you are offended by the word "fart" then, sorry, you should dig s hole and burry your head in it......seriously!
This is a charming and hysterical story about a tiny warrior princess and the not-so-intimidating "warrior horse" that she received for her birthday.
I had never heard of the author, but after reading this to my 4 year old son, I have looked into purchasing her other titles. My son loves funny books like the Pigeon books by Mo Williams and The End (Almost) by Jim Benton. So if you have a child with a sense of humor, this is an awesome kids book that you won't be disappointed with!

Princess Pinecone is ready to become a fierce warrior like her parents and everyone else in their kingdom. After years of receiving cozy sweaters, Princess Pinecone is super clear about what she wants this birthday: A big, strong horse fit for a warrior princess.

When Pinecone's birthday arrives, she doesn't quite get the horse she expected. Instead she is greeted by a fat, tiny pony that seems to be cross-eyed. But it turns out even surprisingly cute and cuddly ponies can have their place in battle. And so can little warrior princesses in The Princess and the Pony (2015) by Kate Beaton.

There is a lot to recommend this picture book starting, right at the beginning, with Princess Pinecone's bi-racial parents and diverse kingdom of warriors. Although Pinecone's pony farts more than is necessary, this is still a fun story and sure to be a crowd pleaser. The Princess and the Pony is a wacky story with the feel of a fractured fairy tale and the humor to match.

Beaton's background in comics gives her illustrations a cartoon-like quality. Each illustration is in full color with sharp outlines. The size and motion in each illustration also makes this a great choice to read to a larger group.

The Princess and the Pony is an entertaining an enjoyable picture book with whimsy and a kick-butt heroine. Recommended.

Princess Pinecone wanted a big, strong, fearsome war horse. What she actually got as a birthday gift certainly was not the horse of her dreams. The little pony was short, and round and, frankly, quite silly looking. But, he had the secret weapon that led to her becoming the champion of the battle games.

The little pony had charm and cuteness and by just standing on the sidelines he totally threw the big, rugged brutes off their game. They stopped with the dodgeballs and spitballs and hairballs to take a moment away from the battle to admire the delightful and beguiling little pony. They let their soft side out and became pleasant. Maybe the old adage is true: you can kill more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.

This is another wonderfully written and illustrated children’s book by Kate Beaton. She’s the winner of several Caldecott medals for previous books. Her ability to tell a story with few words but immersed in wonderfully whimsical and imaginative illustrations makes this book a winner for kids 4 to 8 years old with all levels of reading skills. You’ll laugh along with your kids as you follow the antics of this doe eyed little pony who turns out to be the best birthday gift that a little princess could wish for after all.

I picked this up for my daughter thinking it might include something on being more than a princess, and some of the inclusions really were interesting. I liked the precept of the story and enjoyed how this branched off of wanting more than sweaters, and I liked the idea that having a war horse compliments some of the games/shows/ideas my child has been/will be introduced to. Our family plays board and video games together, enjoys Sci-Fi, horror, and many other genres of reading and television, reads comics and manga, enjoys most aspects of nature including insects and animal life, and much more, so breaking stereotypical norms while also introducing an oddity of an animal is something interesting. In that respect, I think this idea, along with the artwork, was great. Speaking of the artwork, my child enjoyed the way things are depicted as well, and she is younger than the 4 - 8 year old age range, which says a lot when the little ones think it is interesting. I also liked the idea of our main character getting something she was not expecting, which teaches your child about liking things for what they are (or being careful what they wish for, depending on the child's/parent's mindset). Additionally, the inclusion of words like flummoxed and flabbergasted are to be applauded in my opinion, because we want our children asking what these things mean while constantly growing. Were this the sum-total of the review, I would have easily scored the book 5-stars.

All that said, a problem that honestly disappointed me was the inclusion of "farting" in this tale. While children find this funny, items like "farting" and other cheap laughs are things we have tried to exclude from our young child's vocabulary, and I honestly did not think anything about checking this book for that. You see the picture on the front of the book which seems innocuous and the product description does note this, but review those details. We are talking about 2 words (incurable flatulence) within hundreds. The book was highly touted as well so I picked it up, and have since wondered if a retitled, "The Princess and her Flatulent Pony" would have been quite-so-hailed. Taking this unnecessary portion out would have made something beyond average really good in my opinion.

3.5/5

This is the story of Princess Pinecone and her desire to be a proper warrior princess. Along the way you meet strong powerful warriors with shields, amulets and all the best in warrior paraphernalia. Princess Pinecone has a small, round pony who farts too much. Not one to be deterred she takes the field and teaches everyone a thing or two along the way. This is a great book by Ms. Beaton filled with a good message and a great story for young and old alike!

This book has a catchy title; however the pictures are not that attractive. The story has a strong, little female character (she is a Princess Warrior) and a fat, little pony. The story is engaging but again the colors and illustrations are neither stimulating nor attractive to any of the kids I’ve read it to. Some parents may be “turned-off” by some of the antics in this book (flatulence). But kids tend to eat-up this kind of humor.

This story is for courageous little Princesses everywhere. It is utterly charming. Mine has been insisting on having this book read every night for a while now. She could read it if she wanted. The proof is that she corrects me if I say something incorrectly.

Her brothers also like the book and are willing to read it to her. They do point out that she could read it if she wanted to. Some stories are just special.

Every warrior needs a pony

Princess Pinecone wants a strong horse for her birthday. She is a warrior and needs the horse for her battles. Her parents try hard but they get it all wrong. Princess Pinecone gets a small, cute pony for her present. She does not like it at all. The pony is too small and too round and it farts all the time. Princess Pinecone tries to teach the pony how to be a real warrior horse but it doesn’t work. On the day of the battle, the pony surprises everyone and makes everyone fall in love with it.

I liked this book. The pony made me and my three year old brother laugh so hard. A farting pony is really silly. It also sticks out its tongue which made me laugh. My favorite part of the book was when Princess Pinecone took the pony to the battlefield. I didn’t know what to expect. Everyone else was so big. But luckily, this book showed that everyone has different sides to themselves. Even warriors can like cute ponies. I give this book five stars. It would be good for 3-6 year olds.

Review by Cameron H., age 5, New Mexico Mensa

This book has warriors, princesses, ponies and bathroom humor. Making it pretty much a hit with the 7 year old I shared it with. However, being that I am a teacher... I am likely not to share this in the classroom because of the bathroom humor.

The heroine of the story is the princess who wants to fit in with her warrior clan. She wants a gift that will make her a great warrior. She wants a horse for her birthday! What she gets instead is a plump pony that is pretty funny looking! She is disappointed in the pony and to make it worse the pony has bad gas! The day of the big battle comes, and the princess boldly goes out with her war pony! You can read to see what happens next!

Cute - but I wish there was some way around the potty humor... although kids seem to love that!

Well Princess Pinecone, who is a tiny warrior wants a fearless war horse. Well she ends up with this pony. Who happens to fart. It's quite silly and lots of kind of out there things happen, but my kids enjoyed it the first time we read it to them and request to have it read to them quite often. They are 3 and 5 so the zany antics are right in their wheelhouse.

My daughter requests reading this over and over and is always excited when we rediscover it in her book collection. She has it pretty much memorized by now. She drew a picture of the farting pony as a thank you for the friends who gave it to her!

Kate Beaton's children's book is cute, thought-provoking, and overturns expectations, all the qualities that make Beaton’s comics so entertaining. As in her history strips, she takes a familiar-ish setting and puts a distinctly modern spin on it. Although aimed at 4-8-year-olds, it’s got enough in it that the adult reading the book to the kid will also find interesting elements (particularly in the backgrounds of the large scenes).

Princess Pinecone comes from a family of warriors, and she wants a big, strong horse for her birthday. Instead, she gets a fat little pony. She tries to train it, but it falls down and farts a lot. (The page with the pony having fallen down, just as happy to be upside down as it is to be standing on its feet, is adorable.)

Beaton goes bonkers creating all the various warriors in her fantasy kingdom, with a ton of expressions and types and caricatures. It’s great to see such diverse, imaginative portrayals. Plus, the idea of Pinecone wanting to be fierce, as is her birthright, and nothing being wrong with that is inspiring. The message that victory can come in unexpected ways is a good one, particularly for this modern world. (The publisher provided a review copy. Review originally posted at ComicsWorthReading.com.)

A lovely, funny book about the power of fluffiness, cuteness and positivity in our lives.

Extra points for charming illustrations and bi-racial princess.

I definitely need to check more of Kate Beaton's children's books.

Fun little quirky story! Hope you're ok with some improper terms like "fat" and"fart". My 2nd grader loved it. I couldn't get the image to get bigger on my iPhone though which made it difficult for my daughter to read it.

What a FABULOUS book! First, I want to thank Kate Beaton for giving us a fabulous biracial lead protagonist, a mixed race family and heroes/warriors that come in ALL shades of people. How fabulous is that! Apparently, when Ms. Beaton heard the call for "We Need Diverse Books," she listened and complied by producing one of the cutest and most hilarious picture books I have read in a long time. The illustrations are bold, vivid, and colorful with a high level of visual literacy. The story is accessible to everyone, but especially to any (little) person frustrated by the fact that their perception of themselves is not shared by the adults around them. Plus, best of all, A FARTING PONY!

This book arrived yesterday for my Grandson for Christmas, something his mom put on his wishlist. We read it as soon as it arrived and laughed through the whole book. With 3 grown sons, I am familiar with little boy humor.. with a farting pony this book will be a sure hit ! ??? Who knew there was a good princess book out there for little boys?

The Princess and the Pony By: Kate Beaton, a hardcover book. This is a very cute and humorous story. Well written and teaches values. My grand daughters ages 5 & 9 years enjoyed hearing the story several times. The pictures are great also.

What a FABULOUS book! First, I want to thank Kate Beaton for giving us a fabulous biracial lead protagonist, a mixed race family and heroes/warriors that come in ALL shades of people. How fabulous is that! Apparently, when Ms. Beaton heard the call for "We Need Diverse Books," she listened and complied by producing one of the cutest and most hilarious picture books I have read in a long time. The illustrations are bold, vivid, and colorful with a high level of visual literacy. The story is accessible to everyone, but especially to any (little) person frustrated by the fact that their perception of themselves is not shared by the adults around them. Plus, best of all, A FARTING PONY!

This book arrived yesterday for my Grandson for Christmas, something his mom put on his wishlist. We read it as soon as it arrived and laughed through the whole book. With 3 grown sons, I am familiar with little boy humor.. with a farting pony this book will be a sure hit ! ??? Who knew there was a good princess book out there for little boys?

The Princess and the Pony By: Kate Beaton, a hardcover book. This is a very cute and humorous story. Well written and teaches values. My grand daughters ages 5 & 9 years enjoyed hearing the story several times. The pictures are great also.

This is a cute book with whimsical illustrations and a strong message that you shouldn't cast judgments based on appearances. It's fun and I think parents will appreciate some of the hilarious drawings even more than kids will.

The princess and the pony by Beaton_ Kate
This audio book is about Princess Pinecone for a birthday gift. A big strong horse and one fit for a warrior princess. Other princesses over the years have received amulets, shields and other warrior items.
The pony she had she was not able to teach warrior moves in the battle.
She does not quite get what she wants....funny children's story.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).