About the author
Elizabeth Harrover Johnson was born in Manassas, Virginia, and later lived on a farm in Princeton, New Jersey. Living on a farm helped with her research. As well as her husband and three children, she had several horses, sheep and various other animals. Elizabeth Harrover Johnson wrote four horse books: two are aimed at teenagers, and the two about Beth and her Shetland pony are aimed at younger readers.
Finding the books
All the books are easy to find, and not generally expensive. None of the books were published in the UK.
Links and sources
Terri A. Wear: Horse Stories, an Annotated Bibliography, Scarecrow Press, 1987
Dustjacket of Old Quarry Fox
Many thanks to Susan Bourgeau for all her help with this section.
Series
Beth pair
The Pony That Didn’t Grow
Christy Finds a Rider
Bibliography (horse books only)
The Old Quarry Fox Hunt
Ives Washburn, New York, 1964, 125 pp, illus Sam Savitt
Charlie Chase spends more time in trouble than not in school. He is staying with his grandparents, and doesn’t see why he should sort himself out as he is only a visitor. However, he becomes involved when a friend is told he has to do a team sport. Charlie suggests hunting, which they can combine with looking for a box of stolen money. Charlie does have to learn to ride, however, in
order to make all this possible.
The Pony That Didn’t Grow
Ives Washburn, New York, 1963, 62 pp, illus Richard Lewis
Beth is given a Shetland when she is 8. She’s told the pony will grow a lot taller, so hopes as she looks after the pony during the winter, that he will.
Christy Finds a Rider
Ives Washburn, New York, 1965, 89 pp, illus Sam Savitt
Beth’s pony hasn’t grown, so she drives him rather than rides him. He then finds a new lease of life when a tiny girl, Tina, wants to ride him.
Horse Show Fever
Ives Washburn, New York, 1962, 135 pp, illus Charles W. Walker
Hugh is not impressed by the Colonel’s horses: he is on his way to Philadelphia to get a job. The Colonel offers him a bed for the night, and Hugh decides to stay on when he meets the Colonel’s young riding pupils. Their enthusiasm is infectious; Hugh accepts a job (“temporarily”) and gradually becomes absorbed in the world of horses, finally achieving his ambition to jump.
