About the author
Elisabeth Hubbard Lansing (1911–2002) was born in Connecticut, and achieved a degree in library science from Simmons College. She wrote over 45 children’s books, and passed on her love of writing through her work with the Writers School in Westport and the Institute for Children’s Literature in Redding Ridge. She wrote several horse books, including a short series about twins Ted and Sue and their pony Twinkle.
Finding the books
All are reasonably easy to find, though not necessarily with dustjackets. Shoot for a Mule appears to be available as print-on-demand.
Links and sources
Notice of death in New York Times
Series
Twinkle Series
The Pony That Ran Away
The Pony That Kept a Secret
A Pony Worth His Salt
Bibliography (horse books only)
The Pony That Ran Away
Thomas Y Crowell, New York, 1951, 149 pp, illus Barbara Cooney
Twins Ted and Sue get a pony and cart for their tenth birthday. But Twinkle the pony doesn’t seem to like his new home, and keeps running away. The only person he seems to like is the twins’ two-year-old brother, Robby. The twins’ parents, and Pete, the handy man, do not have any luck
figuring out how to make the pony happy either. Then Pete’s brother, George, comes to visit, and figures out Twinkle’s problem.
The Pony That Kept A Secret
Thomas Y Crowell, New York, 1952, 117 pp, illus Barbara Cooney
Twins Ted and Sue try to solve the mystery of disappearing objects on the farm. Ted is tired of having no saddle, only a pad. Then the children see first prize for a class at the county fair is a western saddle. With only two other ponies in the class, Ted is sure the saddle will be theirs, until they find out at the last minute that riders have to be eight or younger. Can their baby brother, Robby, pull it off and win the saddle? And does Twinkle know anything about the missing objects?
A Pony Worth His Salt
Thomas Y Crowell, New York, 1953, 168 pp, illus Barbara Cooney
After overhearing a conversation between their father and Pete, the hired hand, twins Ted and Sue are sure that their father is getting rid of their beloved pony, Twinkle, because he doesn’t earn his keep. So they set about to prove that Twinkle is useful, and have a lot of fun in the process. They have their secrets and surprises, but in the end it is Ted and Sue that get the biggest surprise of all.
Sure Thing for Shep
Thomas Y Crowell, 1956, illus Ezra Jack
Shep and his Uncle Jake owe taxes on their farm, and they need to find a way to raise the
money. When Uncle Jake insists on selling their cow, he gets what looks like a very bad
bargain: a skinny ex-racehorse who won’t race.
Shoot for a Mule
Thomas Y Crowell, 1951, illus Susanne Suba