Jigsaw Pony

by Jessie Haas

After teaching four girls to ride, Jigsaw the pony feels abandoned when they all grow up and are unable to ride him due to their size, but when he hears the rumors that there are two small girls on the other side of town in need of his skills, Jigsaw is certain that his lonely days will soon be over!

Genres: Animals, Horses, Realistic Fiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2005

About the author

Jessie Haas has written over 35 books for children and adults, many about horses--a lifelong passion. She currently owns a Morgan mare, Robin, who is being clicker-trained to be a trail and pasture-dressage horse. She lives in a small, off-grid house in the woods with husband Michael J. Daley, two cats and a dog. When not writing or riding or reading she likes to knit, cook, and write, or ride, or read.

Reviews

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet book. I enjoyed it very much, but especially the final chapter. The message conveyed in the last few pages was absolutely lovely.

The illustrations by Ying-Hwa Hu were great, well suited to the story.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it must be really hard to write good, solid books for kids who are transitioning from beginning readers to chapter books. The vocabulary can't be too challenging, but the story needs to be interesting enough to help new readers want to push through the awkwardness that can come with learning how to read. Plus, the book needs to look non-threatening - plenty of white space, maybe some pictures, but not too many. Really, it's kind of a tall order.

This is a good one to add to the list of solid "bridge" books that can help emergent readers build their reading skills and feel more comfortable with chapter books. It will hold special appeal to horse lovers, siblings who argue more than their parents would like, and kids who like to read books books about characters that could be like kids they know. I especially enjoyed the little bits where I got to read what Jigsaw the horse was thinking and feeling. It is probably not for readers who want a clear conflict or lots of action (which is what my kids want to read).

For myself as a reader, I would probably give this three stars. Solid like - liked the writing, liked the plot, liked the characters. But as a librarian, the usefulness of this kind of book compelled me to bump it up to four.

[Dale Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about 3rd or 4th grade reading level, I wouldn't recommend much before 2nd grade even for very advanced readers. It seems very simplistic for 6th grade or later.

The story follows Jigsaw, a pony gifted to a mailman's twin daughters, who are in the depths of sibling rivalry. They include a third girl, a mutual friend, who is a voice of reason in their strife. Jigsaw has been a riding pony for a number of girls before coming into the story, and the rivalry affects the girl's relationship with him until concern for his health draws them closer together.

The concepts of sibling rivalry/completion and sharing are paramount to the plot. Other more abstract concepts in the story are reality vs. expectations, concern for others, ambition/self-image, desire to act to address problems, disappointment in the face of love and concern.

I reviewed this as a gift for my granddaughters, who are not twins, but near enough in age to struggle with rivalry. They are both very advance readers in 1st and 2nd grade. I was concerned that their emotional development might not catch the theme of the book, but decided it was so well matched to their interests and situations that it would probably be ok. I figure that it will pass down well as the 1st grader comes of age.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This cover looks SO familiar to me, I can't believe it wasn't published until 2005. That said, it's a nice addition to the "twins get their first pony" story niche for young readers, as demonstrated by two of my actual favorite childhood books, The Great Pony Hassle and Our First Pony. I can't attach the same level of love to it as an adult, not least because the writing is very simple/repetitive and designed for early chapter book readers, but I always like this author and I'd recommend it to kiddos of that age group who love ponies.

Except for the fact that it is quite the kicker to learn that Jigsaw will only do part of a course before stopping because he's thirty years old and this poor elderly pony isn't being stubborn, he literally CAN'T go over multiple jumps or gallop around very long. Frankly it's kind of awful to even imagine him trying.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good early chapter book, features twins.l

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book that I read was Jigsaw Pony by Jessie Haas, the genre is children's literature. I chose this book because it is full of life. It has many little twists to keep you engaged. In this book it has two main characters named Fran and Kiera, they are twins, the only thing they have in common is the love of horses. Since they love horses they of course wanted one. Then one day their dad brought them a cute little Shetland pony, but they didn't know what to name it. The girls went back and forth until they agreed on the name Jigsaw. They never would have guessed they were getting a pony, when the girls saw him they got excited. The girls now had a really big responsibility, they now have to take care of a living creature. First they had to make a stall and pen to keep him in. Next they had to get the supplies for Jigsaw. Finally once he was all settled in, the girls got to ride him and have fun. The girls noticed that Jigsaw was starting to slow down and not jump as much as most ponies. They are wondering if something is wrong with Jigsaw.
I connected to this book really fast from almost all of the scenes. One scene I related to specifically was when the girls first got Jigsaw, I connected to this scene because i was about there age when I got my first pony Starlight. Another way i connected to this book was from being a twin, but the only difference is i have a brother instead of a twin sister. This book also inspired me to learn how to jump my pony Starlight, but i had the same problem they did, so i wondered if my pony had the same problem Jigsaw did.
The hardest part for the girls was sharing the pony. Why it was so hard sometimes was that they both wanted to ride Jigsaw but he got really tired and couldn't go as long. So the girls would always get into little arguments on who is riding and when they are riding. This is when the girls started getting worried if something was wrong with Jigsaw. The things I like about this book is all of the little excitement that goes on. It's almost like you're in the book with the girls. Another thing I like about the book is how it talks about all the feelings of the girls and their family. I wish they added a little more detail in the book. Some of the scenes I wish explained his color a little more or the way he acted. I also really liked how it talked about the responsibility the girls had and all of the work they had to do for this pony. This might inspire some younger kids to take on responsibility like the girls did. If you really liked the book you can purchase it online at amazon for $5.99.

[Ratforcekids · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jigsaw Pony has a new family. what will happen when he meets the twin girls who are now his owners?

Jigsaw Pony by Jessie Haas has a beginning of 3rd level rating. Twins Kiera and Fran must learn to cooperate when their father gives them a pony.

[Audrey Cutlip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading but i have read better books. Athough it was a really amazing book.

[Krishna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like Jigsaw.
To me it is kind of funny that te girls keep on arguing.

[Ella W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a fun pony book. I liked it because it made me think a pony is a good pet.

[Hillvan]

450L

[Karisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably more like 3.5 stars... A cute little story, especially for horse lovers, but kind of slow.

[babyhippoface · Rating 2 out of 5]

Harmless, fun story about two little girls who get their own pony.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

girls and ponies, woohoo!

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book