The Mud Pony

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 show more 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! show less

This was one of my favorite books growing up. I especially loved the last line: "You are not alone." That used to comfort me so much as a child.
The cover the book says it's a retelling of a traditional Pawnee tale. The story follows a young boy who is poor and wishes he had a pony of his own. He makes one out of white clay one day and while he's out playing with it, his tribe packs up and moves on, following the trail of some buffalo that were sighted. The boy is left behind. That night he dreams his clay pony is alive and speaking to him. When he wakes up, he finds that the pony really is alive and they both embark on a journey to find his tribe.
I also really enjoyed the artwork. It seemed as though the characters and the scenery show more were emerging from a dream to tell the story.
All in all, a great book. show less

This book kind of reminds me of the Footprints poem. Sometimes you have to let go & operate on faith/intuition. A story of a young Native American boy who dreams of having a pony. His dream comes true, but he gets separated from his family. The horse (who is part of Mother Earth) helps the boy find his family. The boy grows up to become the Chief of his people, but the horse has to return to Mother Earth. However, the book ends with him hearing the voice of the horse/Mother Earth saying, "I am here, your Mother Earth. You are not alone!"

I included the YMMV because of the spiritualism in this book. So if you avoid mention of alternative religions this is not necessarily for you.

I did enjoy this folktale.

A poor, Native American, boy becomes a powerful leader, after trusting his new pony, that Mother Earth brought to life from mud.

The illustrations in this book are done with a watercolor medium, which wonderfully displays the idea of constant motion within the story. This story can be used during a unit about personification and characterization, because the mud pony speaks to/guides the boy throughout his trip. This would also be an excellent book to use during units about Native American culture or folktales. Students could be given clay to create their own animal, and then write a story about what kind of guidance their animal offers.

A native american tale retold with gorgeous pictures, The Mud Pony was a favorite of mine growing up. The coming of age story of a boy and his pony figurine made of mud has followed me since childhood. I still talk about it today. This mystical legend is a must read!

This is a story about an indian boy who wanted a pony. One day he made a pony out of mud. While he was with the horses his tribe left him to go find buffalo. When the boy returned to camp his people were gone. He cried himself to sleep and when he woke up his mud pony was alive. The mud pony led him back to his people where he went to see his parents. Before dawn he left his parents and went with the pony for three more days. When the mud pony returned him to camp again the chief asked him to join them in battle. Then the young boy killed more buffalo than any man. He later became chief and the mud pony disappeared and returned to Mother Earth.
This book is a great story of the Pawnee Indians. I like that many of the Indian books I have show more read have been about their love for their horses.
In the classroom I would use this to discuss the Native American Culture. I would also give them Play-Doh and let them try to mold a horse like the boy in the book. show less