They're Off! : The Story of the Pony Express

by Cheryl Harness

In 1860, with North and South about to be divided by war, East and West were united through an extraordinary venture -- the Pony Express. Over the course of ten days in April, eighty riders and five hundred horses delivered mail between California and Missouri -- a mission that took three weeks by stagecoach.
Although it existed for only a year and a half, the Pony Express remains a legendary chapter in American history and a symbol of the bold, adventurous character of the Old West. The spirit of the brave riders and their ponies is captured perfectly in Cheryl Harness's lively, brightly illustrated, and information-filled account.

Genres: History, Picture Books, School, American History, Nonfiction, Westerns, 2nd Grade

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Author and illustrator. Worked variously as a student teacher, waitress, short-order cook, portrait artist, and needlework designer. Greeting-card artist for Hallmark Cards and Current. Presenter at schools.

Reviews

[David Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and well written history of The Pony and a critical time in our country's history.

[Shelby Bethke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enlightening book on the history of the Pony Express. Quick read, recommended for ages 10 and up.

[Cala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations portray the ponies, riders, and routes of the Pony Express. The maps are the highlight of the book, showing the route in detail. Another bonus is the complete list of riders in the back of the book. The text is a bit wordy for a 5 y.o. to listen to, with some unnecessarily large descriptive words. The fact that it jumps back and forth between the "west" riders and the "east" riders is a bit confusing to a young child as well. For an older child, this could help paint a more accurate picture of the events.

[Mr. Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me 1/4 of the book to finally catch onto the voice of the text. Once I did, the book got better. Some choppy moments, to be sure, but still a promising resource. Standby for report on effectiveness.

[A-drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A read this by himself @ SCA for F&F reading (4th grade)

[Shelly♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Harness's books on American History. This time, we take a trip on the Pony Express. The book does a great job of explaining the historic route and what it all involved. The illustrations are detailed and older children will have fun studying them more closely. The story is fast paced and exciting - further enhanced by the lively drawings. While describing the hardship, she keeps it real, but at a level that won't scare young listeners And we learn that Buffalo Bill Cody was one of these such riders.

She has a list of all the names of the riders in the back. A nice addition.

I would say reading level is about 4th grade, but kids from 5 to 12 may find something in this book to enjoy.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find it interesting that the Pony Express lasted just a year and a half, and yet left such a lasting impression on the American psyche that we remember it today. In this book Harness describes the circumstances that led up to the establishment of this service, and how it was formed. She describes in detail the first deliveries from west to east and east to west by the Pony Express, and at the end provides a list of all the men who served as Pony Express riders. She also notes that the last surviving Pony Express rider died in 1955 at the age of 105! Fascinating! And recommended.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this for my In2books epal. For not having any interest in the pony express, this author wrote this interestingly enough and fast enough to keep me interested in the topic. Even though I still do not care to know about the Pony Express, I now know a lot more of it than what I did previous (which was zero).

The artwork in this book will keep the kids who are reading this interested.

The author does not hide the facts, and does not sugarcoat the pony expess. She gives facts fast, like the pony express.

[Cws]

W JHar

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this with my In2Books epal. It was a pretty good story with a lot of facts crammed in. I didn't realize that the pony express was so violent.