About the author
Maud Hart Lovelace (1892–1980) was married to author Delos W Lovelace. She is best known for her Betsy Tacy series, but she also wrote at least one horse book, about a girl who wishes for a pony, and lo! a Shetland pony turns up. The book is part of the Deep Valley series.
Maud Hart Lovelace was born in Minnesota. Her college education was interrupted by appendicitis. While she was convalescing, her uncle lent her a typewriter, and she produced Number Eight, which she sold to the Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine. She met and married her journalist husband in 1917. They moved to New York City, where she wrote, and he worked as a journalist. When her daughter was little, Lovelace told her stories about her own childhood, and her childhood friends, and the first Betsy-Tacy book was born. One a year followed until 1955.
Finding the book
Easy to find in its recent paperback printings. Decent copies of the first edition are tricky.
Links and sources
Delos W Lovelace on Wikipedia
The Maud Hart Lovelace Award
There is a Society devoted to the Betsy Tacy books
And a Society devoted to the author (now I think only on Facebook)
Thanks to Lisa Catz for the summary and photograph.
Bibliography (horse books only)
Winona‘s Pony Cart
Thomas Y Crowell Company, New York, 1953, 117 pp, illus Vera Neville
HarperCollins, New York, 2010, pb
with Carney’s House Party, HarperCollins, New York, 2010
More than anything else, Winona wants a pony for her birthday. She wishes it so hard, that even though her father has told her that she may not have a pony, she truly believes there will be one. She invites lots of children to her party to see the pony. Sure enough, Jingles, a Shetland pony, comes through the gate during her party, and everyone has a great time taking rides in the pony cart. But after the party, Winona is devastated when she is told that Jingles was only rented for the party.
