Title: Five Mile Charlie: A Special Pony for Carly
Author: Kimberly Adams
Illustrator: David Gnass
Publisher: Mascot Books
ISBN: 978-1645436928
Genre: Children’s Books
Pages: 38
Reviewed by: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Pacific Book Review
A little girl gets her wish, but in a very different way than she expected, in this lively tale by author Kimberly Adams.
Carly is an energetic, hard-working girl who lives in Oklahoma on File Mile Farm. She enjoys work as well as play, and has several pets – two dogs, Okie and Mollie, a cat named Wally and even a parrot, Annie. But there is something missing – something she longs for – a pony. One spring, to try to make her wish come true, Carly enlists the magical help of honeybees who live nearby. Every day Carly walks to their hive and repeats her desire for a pony. The bees are led by Queen Nora, who has at her command a group of worker bees called scouts, who range out to look for flowers for the bees to use in honey production.
When Nora learns of Carly’s wish, she sends her scouting friend Journey to fly out and locate a suitable pony. Journey’s search will include an encounter with Grumps, a sad, almost toothless old coyote who scares other animals, so other creatures dislike him. But the intrepid bee soon spots a pony that seems perfect for Carly. She and Nora talk to him; his name is Charlie – but he’s not a pony. He’s a llama. He can and will leave and become Carly’s new friend. She is thrilled. She feeds him cheese and apples, and he scares away mean old Grumps. Carly decides to help Grumps to be more friendly. She, Charlie, and her other pets set off to the library to learn more about coyotes so they can fulfill their mission to improve Grumps.
Author Adams is an attorney and judge and lives on a farm, also named File Mile and also in Oklahoma. She was inspired to write about Carly because she too once owned a pet llama. Her book is vividly, colorfully illustrated by David Gnass, with active scenes and the cute touch of Charlie with his “cheesy face.” The book is planned as the first in a series and ends with an exhortation to young readers: “Be kind, be brave, be strong, be bold.” Her simple story is populated with various animals, including the well-organized bees with their gift of magic, who will doubtless play roles in the future adventures.
At the forefront is Carly herself, an admirable little girl of strong will and generous nature. School age children will be able to read this charming, educational tale on their own, and parents and grandparents will enjoy reading it to the younger ones.
