The White Sea Horse

The ORIGINAL book title is "The White Sea Horse" by Helen Cresswell. I read this book -- as "The White Sea Horse" -- as a child, after I found it in my grammar school library. I took it out over and over again, and even when I was in high school, I secretly took it out of the local library and read it again a few times. It's a fable, of sorts, and told well. In spare prose (but easy enough for a child to read), it portrays the little sea horse's lonely imprisonment in the cage, and how he listens for the sea, for the waves crashing on the shore. It's a beautiful children's story on why wild things should be allowed to be wild and enjoyed for their wildness, and why domestication or taming isn't the right response. It's also one of the best examples I can think of, of stories that portray children as knowing instinctually what is the moral, right thing to do. Of course, that's not what I thought as a child. I simply responded to the simple but beautiful story, and the ORIGINAL black and white line drawing illustrations. The original illustrations really showed the daintiness (and implied vulnerability) of the white sea horse. This version, "The Little Sea Pony," is disappointing in that respect. I bought three copies for my three nephews. I was very disappointed that the original line drawings of the white sea horse, which were in the hardcover version I read as a child (most likely published in the early 70s), are not in this 90s re-publication. What a loss! Still, it's a beautiful children's story and still worth reading, even without the original title OR the original illustrations.

Written in 1964 but the idea of finding a tiny pony that's real is still captivating to children. The author does a good job of blending fantasy with reality. The book explores how people in the community react when such a unique and special animal is found. The townspeople end up locking the little pony in a cage in order to bring luck to the town. The main character, a girl named Molly and her friend plot to save the little pony from this heartless fate.