Litercurious Book Review
| Title | Meg and Merlin: Making Friends |
| Author | Tanya Landman |
| Illustrator | Sònia Albert |
| Publisher | Barrington Stoke Ltd (January 2022) |
| Format | Unknown, e-ARC used for review |
| Pages | 64 |
| Genre | Children’s Literature, Children’s Equestrian Books |
| Language | English |
| ISBN | 978-1-80090-085-1 |
AUTHOR / ILLUSTRATOR
Tanya Landman has authored more than forty books for children and young adults. She writes across a broad age range and has earned many awards and accolades for her literature. Learn more about her and her books on her website.
Sònia Albert is an illustrator from Mataró, a Mediterranean city near Barcelona. Her true love has always been the illustration world. When she’s not drawing you can find her walking by the beach, reading or learning to play the ukulele.
SYNOPSIS
Meg just turned ten today and she dearly loves horses. Her sole wish in life is to have her very own pony. She dreams of ponies; she wishes for ponies; she even writes Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy asking for ponies. Unfortunately, for Meg, her parents have fallen on hard times. Not only can they not afford a pony, but they had to dramatically cut back on her riding lessons.
When Meg wakes up on her tenth birthday, she notices something is different today. She smells stables, but that can’t be because she lives in a housing estate. Going to the window Meg sees a pony in her front garden! Did her dream finally come true? Did mom and dad finally find a way to get her a pony? Read the book and find out what happens to Meg and the pony.
CONCLUSION
Meg and Merlin: Making Friends is a wonderful tale for young children. The reader can feel Meg’s frustration and anguish at being unable to have her own pony or be able to ride when she wants to. The reader sympathizes with her plight and roots for her to get her very own pony. When Merlin arrives in the yard, there is a feeling of expectancy yet tempered with suspense; will she be able to keep the horse?
The story is heartwarming and up-lifting. I enjoyed all the little nuances the author included in the story such as when horses twitch their lips when they are tickled. She does an outstanding job of integrating the horse characteristics with the riders instincts.
Sònia Albert has done a superb job with the illustrations. Although they are black and white, they are age appropriate and tell the story wonderfully. Her depictions are accurate and simplistic in nature and possess just the right amount of detail to make them perfect for this book.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has ever wished to have a horse or misses their own horse. Young children will love this feel-good story!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Tanya Landman, Barrington Stoke Ltd and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to review Meg and Merlin: Making Friends.
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