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The Mud Pony
A Native American tale about a young boy and his magical pony that comes to life. "Splendidly illustrated.... [A] moving, multileveled hero tale." - Kirkus Reviews
32 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
June 22, 2019
A poor young Pawnee boy, longing to have a horse of his own, shapes one out of the mud he finds along the creek, and is surprised to discover - one terrible day when he is left behind by his tribe - that it has come to life! Now, guided by his 'mud pony,' who speaks to him in his dreams, and is a gift from Mother Earth, the boy catches up to his people, going on to do great things, as a warrior and a chief.
Taken from the work of George A. Dorsey, a late 19th and early 20th-century ethnographer, this tale is described as an "ancient boy-hero tale" of the Skidi band of the Pawnee. The illustrations by Navajo artist Shonto Begay - whose work can also be found in Ma'ii and Cousin Horned Toad: A Traditional Navajo Story and The Magic of Spider Woman - are just lovely, perfectly capturing the dreamlike quality of the boy's extraordinary experiences with his 'mud pony.' Recommended to all young readers who enjoy folktales, or love horses, and to all fans of Shonto Begay's artwork!
Taken from the work of George A. Dorsey, a late 19th and early 20th-century ethnographer, this tale is described as an "ancient boy-hero tale" of the Skidi band of the Pawnee. The illustrations by Navajo artist Shonto Begay - whose work can also be found in Ma'ii and Cousin Horned Toad: A Traditional Navajo Story and The Magic of Spider Woman - are just lovely, perfectly capturing the dreamlike quality of the boy's extraordinary experiences with his 'mud pony.' Recommended to all young readers who enjoy folktales, or love horses, and to all fans of Shonto Begay's artwork!
August 5, 2022
A really great story. Can’t wait to share it with my kids
April 3, 2018
Text-to-Text Connection
In the book The Mud Pony you will find a lonely little boy wanting to make friends. He finds his friendship in the Mud Pony. The boy creates the Mud Pony by using natural clay to form it. This book is a lot like The Legend of The Paintbrush. The little girl in the story used different natural materials to create paint to help tell her story. They are both Native American children's books. They have a relatable message in both stories using objects to express the content of the story. In both book the Illustrations have a very earthy look about them.
January 4, 2019
First time I read this book. Have no idea where it came from, but it's been on the classroom shelf for years, I am certain.
A boy crafted a pony out of mud. While doing so, his family/tribe left camp to search for buffalo, leaving him behind. Deserted, the mud pony came to the boy in a dream. The following day the mud pony had mysteriously been made real. It took the boy to his family. But the boy left only to return strong and leader-ish.
He helped his family hunt buffalo after fighting those who stood in the tribe's way. He was made the chief. The mud pony's work was done; it returned to Mother Earth, who always watches out for the boy.
A boy crafted a pony out of mud. While doing so, his family/tribe left camp to search for buffalo, leaving him behind. Deserted, the mud pony came to the boy in a dream. The following day the mud pony had mysteriously been made real. It took the boy to his family. But the boy left only to return strong and leader-ish.
He helped his family hunt buffalo after fighting those who stood in the tribe's way. He was made the chief. The mud pony's work was done; it returned to Mother Earth, who always watches out for the boy.
February 17, 2018
Pony ex machina.
This is based on a story of the Skidi band of the Pawnee Indians and retold by the author. I'm not sure why she chose to tell this particular story, or if she's Native American.
Basically, there was a a poor boy in an Indian camp. He didn't have a pony and he wanted a pony like the other boys', so he made one out of clay and then took care of it as if it was a real pony. At some point, he is alone with the clay pony and his entire camp wants to go after some buffalo, but they can't find him, so they just lave without him. When he gets back to camp, he freaks out because he doesn't know where everybody is. Then the clay pony comes alive and leads him to his people. The war chief sees him, and says there are some people attacking them so they need the boy and his pony to help fight them. The pony, who is part of Mother Earth, says, "Arrows can never pierce the earth, so cover yourself in dirt." He does that, and they win, and he kills a lot of buffalo in the hunt, and later he becomes a chief like the pony had said. One night, eventually the pony has to go back to the earth. The end.
I'm not entirely certain what the message is. The author believes that the story shows that anybody can gain honor by being humble and constant. I guess he's constant in that he takes care of this clay pony like it's real. It's not like he's worshiping the earth or anything like that, so the whole thing seems very deus ex machina. There's no reason for the pony to help him. There was no reason for him to believe that the pony would help him. So he was just basically playing with a toy that he made himself and then the toy became real, Velveteen-Rabbit-style. Unless there's some kind of tradition of making ponies out of mud and treating them as if they're real, and it does not imply that there is.
So I'm not sure the author's message comes across as clearly as she hoped. Not being that familiar with Native Americans, I don't know how accurate the depiction of them is in here. There's definitely a lot of people with feathers. That seems to be something that many modern Indians object to. The war chief has feathers, but that's reasonable (I would think) and it actually specifically says that the boy puts feathers on the pony when he's a chief. There's a lot of vague stuff in it but it's not glorifying the Native Americans which is kind of nice. I have no idea what the original story was like either, so I can't say how true it is to the original story, or how accurate the original story is to the real beliefs of the Pawnee Indians. It's hard to deal with books like this because I don't understand the culture from which it comes so I can't say how true to that culture it is.
As a book, discarding all of the culture, as much as I can (which is not very much at all), pretending it's a story about some other unknown Iron Age or Stone Age culture, it's just a weird mythology. It doesn't make a lot of sense, and it's not terribly interesting. There's no character development. That's pretty much all I can say. I don't get a strong message out of this; I just get kind of a shrug.
Message: Treat inanimate objects with respect and the forces of nature will give you magical powers.
For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.
This is based on a story of the Skidi band of the Pawnee Indians and retold by the author. I'm not sure why she chose to tell this particular story, or if she's Native American.
Basically, there was a a poor boy in an Indian camp. He didn't have a pony and he wanted a pony like the other boys', so he made one out of clay and then took care of it as if it was a real pony. At some point, he is alone with the clay pony and his entire camp wants to go after some buffalo, but they can't find him, so they just lave without him. When he gets back to camp, he freaks out because he doesn't know where everybody is. Then the clay pony comes alive and leads him to his people. The war chief sees him, and says there are some people attacking them so they need the boy and his pony to help fight them. The pony, who is part of Mother Earth, says, "Arrows can never pierce the earth, so cover yourself in dirt." He does that, and they win, and he kills a lot of buffalo in the hunt, and later he becomes a chief like the pony had said. One night, eventually the pony has to go back to the earth. The end.
I'm not entirely certain what the message is. The author believes that the story shows that anybody can gain honor by being humble and constant. I guess he's constant in that he takes care of this clay pony like it's real. It's not like he's worshiping the earth or anything like that, so the whole thing seems very deus ex machina. There's no reason for the pony to help him. There was no reason for him to believe that the pony would help him. So he was just basically playing with a toy that he made himself and then the toy became real, Velveteen-Rabbit-style. Unless there's some kind of tradition of making ponies out of mud and treating them as if they're real, and it does not imply that there is.
So I'm not sure the author's message comes across as clearly as she hoped. Not being that familiar with Native Americans, I don't know how accurate the depiction of them is in here. There's definitely a lot of people with feathers. That seems to be something that many modern Indians object to. The war chief has feathers, but that's reasonable (I would think) and it actually specifically says that the boy puts feathers on the pony when he's a chief. There's a lot of vague stuff in it but it's not glorifying the Native Americans which is kind of nice. I have no idea what the original story was like either, so I can't say how true it is to the original story, or how accurate the original story is to the real beliefs of the Pawnee Indians. It's hard to deal with books like this because I don't understand the culture from which it comes so I can't say how true to that culture it is.
As a book, discarding all of the culture, as much as I can (which is not very much at all), pretending it's a story about some other unknown Iron Age or Stone Age culture, it's just a weird mythology. It doesn't make a lot of sense, and it's not terribly interesting. There's no character development. That's pretty much all I can say. I don't get a strong message out of this; I just get kind of a shrug.
Message: Treat inanimate objects with respect and the forces of nature will give you magical powers.
For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.
November 7, 2017
The Pawnee tribes of the Plains have many stories of ordinary boys turned heroes, and this is just one of those. The story is of a poor boy who more than anything wants a pony of his own. He makes one out of mud and cares for it as if it were real. One day, the boy’s tribe leaves without him to find buffalo, leaving him all alone. After crying himself to sleep, he dreams that his pony is alive and speaks to him. Upon waking, he sees that his dream has come true! His pony tells him that he is a gift from Mother Earth, and will someday be a chief among his people. This book is the result of careful research on the part of Cohen, who holds a doctorate in folklore and children’s literature. Illustrator Begay is one of sixteen children of a Navajo medicine man and impressionist artist. A beautiful story of the original American dream come true.
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March 21, 2012This traditional, ancient American Indian tale of a boy representing courage is one that could be a fantastic read aloud for younger elementary children. The detailed, distinct illustrations do a nice job in supporting the text. The concept of bravery is classically portrayed in this tale, which makes it a great read aloud book to use with a teacher's guidance.
June 22, 2010
This is a fascinating folktale that is wonderfully illustrated and is great to read aloud at storytime. It has an old fashioned feel to it, a story that's been passed down from generation to generation.
May 21, 2017
A sweet children's book about a young boy longing for a pony. One day his wish becomes fulfilled, and they both form a special bond for each other.
November 18, 2017
The Mud Pony
Summary: An Indian boy longs for a pony of his own so he creates one out of mud that he cares for as if it was real. One day while he is with his mud pony, the tribe leaves to hunt buffalo and his parents cannot find him. He discovers that he is alone and finds scraps of food to eat, finds a tattered blanket, and falls asleep. When the boy awakes, he goes to his mud pony and is surprised to see that the pony is alive. The pony tells the boy that he is not alone and if he obeys was the pony says, he will become a great chief. The boy and the pony journey through the plains to his family and tribe. The war chief recognizes the power in the boy and asks him to join in a battle against an enemy who recently attacked the tribe. The pony protects the boy and he leads his people to victory. With the guidance of the pony for several years, the boy becomes a powerful leader and becomes chief.
Characteristics That Support This Genre: This book can be placed in the traditional literature category because it is a folk tale that is built on Pawnee tradition; it includes a hero character and a talking animal.
Mentoring Writing Traits:
Organization – This story uses sequence and transition words to help guide the reader through the text.
Classroom Integration: This story could be used when discussing how to write with sequence and transition words. This story would also be a good story to read when teaching the predicting strategy.
Other Suggestions: This book is at a 3.7 reading level. This story could also be used when teaching about symbolism and finding courage.
Summary: An Indian boy longs for a pony of his own so he creates one out of mud that he cares for as if it was real. One day while he is with his mud pony, the tribe leaves to hunt buffalo and his parents cannot find him. He discovers that he is alone and finds scraps of food to eat, finds a tattered blanket, and falls asleep. When the boy awakes, he goes to his mud pony and is surprised to see that the pony is alive. The pony tells the boy that he is not alone and if he obeys was the pony says, he will become a great chief. The boy and the pony journey through the plains to his family and tribe. The war chief recognizes the power in the boy and asks him to join in a battle against an enemy who recently attacked the tribe. The pony protects the boy and he leads his people to victory. With the guidance of the pony for several years, the boy becomes a powerful leader and becomes chief.
Characteristics That Support This Genre: This book can be placed in the traditional literature category because it is a folk tale that is built on Pawnee tradition; it includes a hero character and a talking animal.
Mentoring Writing Traits:
Organization – This story uses sequence and transition words to help guide the reader through the text.
Classroom Integration: This story could be used when discussing how to write with sequence and transition words. This story would also be a good story to read when teaching the predicting strategy.
Other Suggestions: This book is at a 3.7 reading level. This story could also be used when teaching about symbolism and finding courage.
March 31, 2021
The mud pony is a folklore take of a young Pawnee boy who becomes a hero. This young boy wanted a pony more than anything and made one out of the mud. One night, his pony came to life in his dream, or so he thought. In the morning, when he awoke, his mud pony was alive. The mud pony and Mother Earth help guide the young boy through the years as he becomes a chief. The visual aspects of this book elicit potent emotions. The colors used are muted browns, golds, and blues illustrated by a Navajo artist.
This book would be a great addition to a social studies class with a unit on Native American history. You could also use this book in small reading groups from grades 3rd-5th. The students could start the reading groups by flipping through the book and making predictions based on the beautiful illustrations. Have the students pick out 3-5 words they are unfamiliar with and discuss them with the reading group and the teacher for a vocabulary lesson.
It would also be an excellent book to use during a reading unit focusing on the story's sequence of events. The students could create a timeline of the order in which the events took place in the story.
This book would be a great addition to a social studies class with a unit on Native American history. You could also use this book in small reading groups from grades 3rd-5th. The students could start the reading groups by flipping through the book and making predictions based on the beautiful illustrations. Have the students pick out 3-5 words they are unfamiliar with and discuss them with the reading group and the teacher for a vocabulary lesson.
It would also be an excellent book to use during a reading unit focusing on the story's sequence of events. The students could create a timeline of the order in which the events took place in the story.
November 29, 2017
I would recommend it for the middle grades, fourth through sixth grade. I would categorize it as historical realistic fiction.
I really enjoyed reading this book, as did many of my fifth graders. It is interesting to read about Native Americans, and learn about their connection with earth. I think it is important to teach students about Native Americans throughout the year, not just on Thanksgiving. I would want to stress the fact that unless we are Native Americans, we are all immigrants in the United States of America. We furthered our lesson and discussed totem poles, and actually created a classroom totem pole. I think this would be an appropriate book to incorporate in all classrooms. Some children in the primary grades could read this book, but because of the activities I would do alongside this book, I would recommend it for the middle grades.
I really enjoyed reading this book, as did many of my fifth graders. It is interesting to read about Native Americans, and learn about their connection with earth. I think it is important to teach students about Native Americans throughout the year, not just on Thanksgiving. I would want to stress the fact that unless we are Native Americans, we are all immigrants in the United States of America. We furthered our lesson and discussed totem poles, and actually created a classroom totem pole. I think this would be an appropriate book to incorporate in all classrooms. Some children in the primary grades could read this book, but because of the activities I would do alongside this book, I would recommend it for the middle grades.
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February 9, 2020I really liked the creativity and message in this book. It had a strong theme of taking care of the earth and the earth taking care of us. I think this book would be a great option to have in a classroom because it shares Native American culture. This book would be a good way to have Native American culture represented in children's literature in a positive light. I liked the simple illustrations because they were soft and pretty and I like the water color look. Overall I enjoyed reading it and I think children would really be entertained by the mud pony coming to life an they could also learn about Native American culture.
June 11, 2017
MULTICULTURAL- Ed 230
The Mud Pony is a Native American folktale that follows the adventures of a young boy and his magical mud pony that comes to life. The young boy grows into an important member of his tribe and achieves greatness with the help of his Mud Pony.
I really enjoyed reading this folktale because i've never heard of it before. The illustrations throughout the book are beautiful and whimsical. I think this would serve as a great read aloud in a classroom setting.
The Mud Pony is a Native American folktale that follows the adventures of a young boy and his magical mud pony that comes to life. The young boy grows into an important member of his tribe and achieves greatness with the help of his Mud Pony.
I really enjoyed reading this folktale because i've never heard of it before. The illustrations throughout the book are beautiful and whimsical. I think this would serve as a great read aloud in a classroom setting.
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September 15, 2022This is an amazing book about a Native American boy that lost his tribe while they are migrating and hunting the buffalo. in the book the boy speaks with the earth about finding his family. Then out of the earth formed a mud horse. The Horse promised to take the boy to his family for the horse knew where they were. Once the horse took the boy to the tribe, the chief gave honor to the boy, for being on his own and finding the tribe. The boy then lead the tribe on hunts for the buffalo.
March 7, 2024
Beautiful book. Yes, a lot of people don't 'understand', or 'get it', but without knowing where, how, when, and where, we gained this land we call 'America', these people will NEVER understand or 'get it'. Or the beautiful, insightful meaning of The Mud Pony. It humbled me and encouraged me to learn more about myself and my beliefs.
March 24, 2025
A book about a boy who has a dream, is abandoned by his people, but is saved by Mother Earth. She gives him his dream, a pony, but she is made from the earth, so he must protect her from water. If he'll obey the pony, he'll be blessed, and one day become the ruler of his people.
This happens. Years pass, and the pony says goodbye. There's a horrible storm that very night, and the pony is gone.
This happens. Years pass, and the pony says goodbye. There's a horrible storm that very night, and the pony is gone.
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October 4, 2019A short, simple retelling of a "traditional Skidi Pawnee tale" about a boy who so longs for a pony he crafts one of mud. Lovely illustrations. The artist is Navaho, but no mention is made of the writer, so I suspect not.
November 26, 2019
My 2nd graders enjoyed it very much during story time and so did I. Capturing illustrations and pointing story. Good connection can be made to modern days living. Character building and a small introduction to Pawnee tribal traditions makes it a welcome read for 7-12 years old.
April 9, 2024
An old story that will resonate with anyone who has ever wished for a horse. The tale is masterfully told. The illustrations have a dreamlike quality to them that leave some detail up to the imagination of the reader.
December 1, 2025
While at he laundromat, read the book from a box of books for children. Of course it was easy to read but the thought of children who can’t read for a lack of phonics skills.
This would be an easy reader for those learning at all ages. The story was interesting and the story was clear.
This would be an easy reader for those learning at all ages. The story was interesting and the story was clear.
June 9, 2017
Story of a Indian boy who achieves greatness in his tribe with the assistance of the mud pony he created when he was young.
June 10, 2017
A well written and correctly informative folktale. I find it to be a boring read, but children who love horses would absolutely love this book!
December 4, 2017
The Mud Pong is a great story for when wanting to add some multicultural to the classroom and children lives.
October 4, 2019
An ancient boy-hero story of a poor humble boy becoming a chief through his trust in Mother Earth and his magical pony.
December 4, 2021
I last read this or looked through when I was pretty small. Just remember the art.
January 26, 2022
Nice story and nice illustrations, but that is simple it. It is easy to read and follow. Well paced and not too long. Would make a good independent read for older elementary school kids.
April 11, 2023
Such a fantastic book, especially for kids. The watercolor (I think that’s what it is) is so exceptional!
May 29, 2023
3.5 stars
Absolutely beautiful. And quietly told.
Absolutely beautiful. And quietly told.
October 20, 2023
One of my favorite books as a child!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews