Cinderella gets a peppy makeover in this pony tale from the trio behind the Jellybeans series. Ponyella has an idyllic life until two mean-spirited ponies move onto the farm. While Plumpkin and Bun Bun snicker at her, Ponyella is forced to pull a cart piled with coal, and her white coat "became as gray as a rain cloud." When the haughty ponies are spruced up and taken to the royal pony championship, forlorn Ponyella is visited by her caped "fairy godmare," who turns an apple core into a horse trailer, a mouse into a driver, and the bedraggled pony into a magnificent animal with diamond horseshoes and roses adorning her tail and mane. The frillier moments in Munsinger's pastel-dominated paintings are offset by lightly comedic particulars: Ponyella's human driver still grasps the cheese the mouse was holding, the horses display outsize facial expressions, and the young princess who judges the pony competition in which Ponyella excels-and who finds Ponyella's lost horseshoe-wears a crown on her riding helmet. A sweet, playful adaptation that's just right for the My Little Pony crowd. Ages 4-8. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 2-A sugary version of "Cinderella" for the "My Little Pony" (HarperCollins) set. Ponyella, whose coat is as white as a marshmallow, lives happily on her small farm, running and jumping as she pleases. But when the farm is sold, the new owner brings along his ponies, Plumpkin and Bun Bun. Ponyella now has to live in a small, smelly stall and pull a coal-filled cart all day. When it is announced that Princess Penelope is going to pick the winner of the Tippington 25th Annual Grand Royal Pony Championship, the step-ponies are groomed and driven to the show in a fancy trailer. Poor Ponyella, now as gray as a rain cloud from her sooty work, begins to cry. Suddenly, her fairy godmare appears and waves her wand, and Ponyella is beautifully groomed and wearing four diamond horseshoes. Of course, she is the star of the horse show, but when the clock strikes 12, she has to run, leaving a shoe behind so the traditional ending can happen. Munsinger does her best to make this bit of froth look good. Ponyella, Cooper, and the princess are charmingly drawn and the fairy godmare is surrounded with stars and pink cotton-candy clouds. The slight, predictable story may be enjoyed by girls who can't get enough of cutesy horse books, but most readers would be better off with one of the many other excellent versions of the story.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Pretty white pony Ponyella's idyllic days on the farm come to an end when her owners move away and new owners move in, bringing their disagreeable ponies Plumpkin and Bun Bun with them. Ponyella must haul coal and live in a tiny, smelly stall, and she knows she has no chance of attending the ballerthe Tippington 25th Annual Grand Royal Pony Championship. Luckily, her fairy 'godmare' comes to the rescue, and, dressed in her diamond hooves, Ponyella has a chance to impress the Princess -- for here it's not a prince needing a bride but a princess needing a pony. Munsinger's illustrations feature plenty of pink and purple as well as a sweetly dainty pony and princess, so while this twist on Cinderella will probably not appeal to many boys, both the horse-lovers and the princess-lovers will read it happily ever after. SUSAN DOVE LEMPKE (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.