If you like reading about explorations that are true stories and have sad endings, then you should read this book. It is called The Winter Pony by Iain Lawrence. But do not read this book if you love horses. I love horses and I was in shock at the end of this book.This book is told from the perspective of an Icelandic pony about the adventures of his life from when he was born as a wild colt to when he died on an expedition working for men. It was an expedition to reach and explore the South Pole. Robert Falcon Scott and the English team are racing against Ronald Admundsen and the Norwegian team to reach the pole. The ponies that are chosen to accompany Robert Falcon Scott and the English men have the job of pulling the sledges full of food and tents. Our hero is one of the chosen ponies. There he learns to trust men and he gets his first name ever, James Pigg. I think the Pigg part is funny. This is a story of life or death. Only one team will make it to the pole, and the other will die. Can the Englishmen make it first?I kind of liked this book and I kind of didn’t. I liked it because it was told from a pony’s perspective. I also liked this book because I can clearly see a lot of mental images in my head while the author tells the story because the author is very descriptive. For example, “Then he looked toward the wind with an angry face, as though the wind was a person, as though the blizzard was blowing just to annoy him.” Another descriptive example is, “The snow gusted around us, over the wall. It piled up on my blanket. It piled up on the ground and banked against the tents, against the sledges and the fodder bales. When Captain Scott took his hand from my back, it was white with snow.” The reason I didn’t like this book is because although I usually like sad endings, but not when they involve animals. So if your curiosity takes over and you want to read this book, read it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. This was a truly good read. Meant for adolescent readers, I think any adult would be drawn in to the story of one of Scott's ponies, told from the perspective of James Pigg. The intense cold, the struggle to work in the harsh environment, the limited knowledge of what was happening, through it all the pony remained steadfast. I knew the whole effort was futile, having read a lot of accounts of the race to the Pole, but still I wanted a different outcome. The author does not spare us but in telling the tale as he does, we are full of admiration for the tremendous effort made not only by the men, but also by those most trusting animals, the ponies who gave all they could.
What do You think about The Winter Pony (2011)?
A story about explorers searching for the South Pole. Told through the eyes of a pony.
—snowlinux
James Piggs, a pony, tells a poignant story of his trip with Scott to the South Pole.
—nykevia
It's a little sad but redeeming. Reading it with my 9 year old.
—Cecilia
This book makes me cry a lot but I still love it.
—RADHIKA
