Hill, Denise

About the author

Denise Hill wrote one of the few pony books to make me laugh out loud: Coco the Gift Horse is, to put it mildly, inept. His hopelessness is wonderfully described. It’s a pity the second half of the book doesn’t have quite the wit of the first, but it’s still a good read. A Pony for Two is also about Jeremy and Jane, and their pony Falla. The Castle Grey Pony is a book for younger readers.

Finding the books
Coco the Gift Horse is spectacularly easy to find, and it is very cheap. When I last looked there were several for very silly prices on Amazon: don’t be tempted into paying a lot, as you should be able to pick this one up for a couple of pounds. A Pony for Two is also easy to find, and cheap. The Castle Grey Pony is harder to find, but not impossible. It’s not normally horrendously expensive when it does turn up.

Series

The Jeremy and Jane Pair
A Pony for Two
Coco the Gift Horse


Bibliography


A Pony for Two

Collins Seagull, 1965
Collins Pony Library, 1973

Jane and Jeremy’s dream has come true, and they have a pony, Falla. She is not, however a normal pony: she does a little dance when Jane whistles. Other people are also
 interested in their pony though, and they find Falla is being spied upon by two little dark men. Then Falla disappears.

Coco the Gift Horse

Collins Seagull Library, London, 1966

Jeremy has outgrown Falla, but they can’t afford another pony.  Then they happen across Coco, who has had a bit of an accident with his milk cart. Mr Brewer his owner, says the horse is “gorn in the’ead,” and agrees to sell him to the children’s friend, Mrs Spragson. She promptly gives him to Jane and Jeremy. Coco has his own unique way of going about things, but in the end he proves worth his weight in gold.

Many thanks to Susan Bourgeau for the picture

The Castle Grey Pony

Hamilton, Antelope Series, 1976

Many thanks to Lisa Catz for the picture.