I loved this novel for the distinctive voice of the pony, who wants to get even with humans for breaking his heart. Penny, the girl who loved him years ago, suddenly went away. "I am the Iago of ponies, a furry Fury. I am both adorable and devious.” He has startling abilities to bend minds and find things by long-gone smells. Embittered, he misbehaves his way into a rock-bottom existence. When he learns Penny has been hauled off to prison for a crime she didn't commit, he embarks on an odyssey to make things right.
The chapters in which Penny is trapped in a heedless justice system are painful to read. But the pony and his new friends, a goat and a hound dog, are on the case, and bring about a satisfying comeuppance, equine-style.
In this one-of-a-kind mystery with heart and humor, a hilariously grumpy pony must save the only human he’s ever loved after discovering she stands accused of a murder he knows she didn’t commit.
Pony has been passed from owner to owner for longer than he can remember. Fed up, he busts out and goes on a cross-country mission to reunite with Penny, the little girl who he was separated from and hasn’t seen in years.
Penny, now an adult, is living an ordinary life when she gets a knock on her door and finds herself in handcuffs, accused of murder…
This memoir, with vivid portraits of Facebook personalities and company policies, hits on a visceral level. It starts with a shark attack that almost killed the author as a teenager in New Zealand; then tells of her work on global problems at the U.N. She’s struck by Facebook’s ability to connect people when it becomes the go-to for information after an earthquake in Christchurch. The company hires her to deal with governments. But Facebook makes massive demands on her and imperils her health, while she learns the quirks and privileges the higher-ups take for granted. The company keeps expanding in spite of evidence that it’s spreading misinformation and enabling bad actors. This is a thought-provoking and very personal look at an enterprise that has embedded itself in many people's lives.
A 2025 best book of the year so far by The New York Times, The Economist, NPR, and more
“Careless People is darkly funny and genuinely shocking...Not only does [Sarah Wynn-Williams] have the storytelling chops to unspool a gripping narrative; she also delivers the goods." -Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times
“When one of the world's most powerful media companies tries to snuff out a book ― amid other alarming attacks on free speech in America like this ― it's time to pull out all the stops.” –Ron Charles, The Washington Post
I grew up with lots of picture books and art history volumes, so this story resonates for me as an adult. It will appeal to preschoolers for its adventure and its chorus: “Does Kitten follow? Of course he does.”
The story is about venturing out—roaming history and the world by diving into a poster for the Metropolitan Museum of Art—and coming safely home to a good supper. Kitten embodies the power of art to transform, literally, as he and the mouse he chases turn into the art form they enter. Each new piece has been created with the methods of the artwork that inspired the author—from Egyptian stone carving to an African portrait mask to medieval stained glass.
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An Indie Next Pick
With lush paintings and intricately constructed 3-D artwork, bestselling and Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Brian Lies introduces a sleepy kitten whose afternoon nap transforms into an epic journey through art, time, and history. Perfect for fans of They All Saw a Cat, Museum Trip, and Jumanji. Includes back matter.
In the warm, late afternoon sunlight, a girl sits on the couch reading a book. Her kitten dozes nearby. But when Kitten notices a mouse and dives after it through a framed poster on the wall, an epic chase through time, art, and history ensues. Is it a…
In their second adventure, the sheep take an ocean voyage but run into a storm. Cat Nap’s vision of world art reminded me that Sheep on a Ship once had a three-day role at our Washington, D.C. National Gallery of Art. The gallery shared the story as a way for families to connect to historic Dutch seascapes. Along with the slapstick plot, there’s almost an old-master quality to Margot Apple’s art. There are always details to find in her work—the blue-footed bird, the sea creatures who wash up in the wave (with a shark, for extra peril), the fancy knitting. And it was Margot Apple who turned my sailors into pirates. Spoiler alert: they’re not very good at sailing.
