Pony on the Twelfth Floor

Faber (the Mango & Bambang series) opens this caper on a droll note, explaining that though Kizzy had always dreamed of owning a pony, “she’d never expected to pick one up from the grocery store.” But after the 11-year-old and her friend Pawel spot an unattended pony gorging on doughnuts in a shop, Kizzy impulsively claims ownership. Her imagination instantly ignites as she decides that the pony, which she names Donut, “smelled of dreams come true,” and envisions riding him competitively and being tapped for the Olympics. But reality sets in—more or less—when the girl realizes the hurdles she must jump to conceal Donut, which involves hiding him in her bedroom, in Pawel’s backyard shed, in her school’s walled garden, and on a pony-loving neighbor’s apartment balcony, all comically portrayed in cartoon art by Jennings (On the First Day of First Grade). The animal’s insatiable appetite wreaks amusing havoc on multiple occasions while triggering a surfeit of scatological humor. Faber neatly weaves Kizzy’s sly resourcefulness, devotion to Donut, and rapports with friends and family into a sprightly, uplifting story. Ages 8–12. [em](June) [/em]