About the author
Krista Ruepp was born in 1947 in Cologne, Germany. She started writing as a girl (though her early writings are alas lost) and carried on story telling. When her children were born, she told them stories, and these were developed into her first book Mitternachtsreiter (Midnight Rider). With that book, as with those that follow, she was anxious that children learn how to treat each other, animals, and the environment, well. Each of her books looks at problems children might encounter: prejudice in Midnight Rider, anxiety in Horses in the Fog, homesickness in The Sea Pony, and in the Anna series, friendship and letting go. For her the relationship of human with horse is symbolic: they represent nature, and humanity’s response to it.
Krista Ruepp still lives near Cologne, with her dog and horses.
Finding the books
Easy to find.
Links and sources
Krista Ruepp’s website
Series
Anna
Winter Pony
The Runaway Pony
Anna’s Pony
Bibliography (horse books only)
Midnight Rider
North-South Books, New York and London, 1995, 61 pp, trans J Alison James, illus Ulrike Heyne
Originally published as: Mitternachtsreiter, Nord Süd, 1994
The blurb:
Charlie becomes friends with Mr Grimm through her love for his horse, and the two of them share a secret that even wise Old Fig doesn’t know.
Horses in the Fog
North-South Books, New York and London, 1997, 56 pp, trans J Alison James
Originally published as: Nebelpferde, Nord Süd
The blurb:
Charlie and her new friend Mona ride their horses out to a sand bar, but when a sudden sea fog comes up they try to make their way back to the island, fearing the ghost stories they’ve been told might be true.
The Sea Pony
North-South Books, New York and London, 2001, 61pp, trans J Alison James
Originally published as: Meerpony, Nord Süd
The blurb:
Nine-year-old Charlie and her horse befriend a boy and his pony, who have just moved to the island where she lives but are homesick for Iceland.
Winter Pony
North-South Books, NY, London, 2002, trans J Alison James, illus Ulrike Heyne
Originally published as: Anna’s Islandpony, Nord-Süd, Gossau, Zürich,
Switzerland, 2002
The blurb:
Although her father assures her that the herd takes care of its members and her grandmother reminds her of mountain spirits’ watchfulness, Anna worries while her pony is in the summer pasture.
Runaway Pony
North-South Books, New York and London, 2005, trans Marianne Martens, illus Ulrike Heyne
Originally published as Keine Angst, Islandpony!
The blurb:
While Anna is training her Icelandic pony to walk with a halter and lead, a noisy tractor
frightens him and she must work to earn back his trust.
Anna’s Prince
North-South Books, New York and London, 2006, trans J Alison James, illus Ulrike Heyne
Originally published as Anna’s Islandpony, Nord Süd, 2002
The blurb:
With help from her father and a friend, Anna helps her beloved horse learn to carry a rider.
