Sophia is a chic show pony, known for her stylish array of hats, paired with coats and designer gowns.
Sophia loves fashion, but she also dreams of winning races. She decides to ask her good friends Grace the Rabbit and Fredrick the Frog what they think of her wild and passionate plan to enter the upcoming race at the Giddy Up Cup. But Grace and Fredrick tell her she should stick to her strength in fashion.
Left feeling discouraged, Sophia decides to attend the Giddy Up Cup as a spectator. With the finest fashion on display (think Melbourne Cup) and the Queen in attendance, everything is going as it should be, until it isn’t. When things go awry, can Sophia find a way to be both fashionable and fast?
Hailing from Australian racing royalty, Sophia the Show Pony is media personality Kate Waterhouse’s debut picture book. Waterhouse is the director and founder of katewaterhouse.com, a go-to fashion destination in Australia, so Sophia the Show Pony is a very fitting debut. In collaboration with illustrator and creative influencer Sally Pratt, these two creators have delivered an empowering story that will delight and enchant young readers everywhere.
Sophia the Show Pony teaches readers that you actually can have your cake and eat it too. While everyone has strengths they can utilise, you can always pursue your dreams, too. I think Waterhouse and Spratt do a phenomenal job presenting this message through short and punchy text complemented by lively, colourful illustrations.
The saying goes that if you do what you love you’ll never have to work a day in your life. For artist Sally Spratt, it has been a case of draw what you love – with her passion for illustration flourishing into a beautiful career.
Sophia the Show Pony is Spratt’s first children’s book, and it’s beautifully done. Younger children will certainly appreciate the expression of each character and the vibrant colours. While older children, as well as parents, might recognise that there is a mixture of both full-colour spreads and sketched spreads with minimal bursts of colour. I think this is a clever way to capture the capacity of Sophia’s passion when it comes to her dreams and strengths respectively.
Waterhouse and Spratt’s first children’s book is a beautiful and timeless rhyming story about a pony who learns to believe in herself. With school resuming this week, Sophia the Show Pony is the ideal read to give young children a burst of inspiration. I recommend it for children aged 6+.
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