Jigsaw Pony

The only thing twins Fran and Kiera have ever agreed on is thatit would be wonderful to own a pony — a pony they could gallop and leap over jumps.

One day their father brings them Jigsaw, a Shetland pony who needs a new family. Jigsaw is the perfect pony. He can do anything — even fit himself into Dad's station wagon for the ride home.

But with Jigsaw comes trouble. The more Fran and Kiera like something, the harder it is for them to share. And they love Jigsaw. Worse, Jigsaw won't gallop far and he won't leap more than a couple of jumps. Is something wrong with the way the twins ride? Or is something wrong with Jigsaw?

The only thing twins Fran and Kiera have ever agreed on is thatit would be wonderful to own a pony — a pony they could gallopand leap over jumps.

One day their father bringsthem Jigsaw, a Shetland pony who needs a new family. Jigsaw is theperfect pony. He can do anything — even fit himself into Dad's stationwagon for the ride home.

But with Jigsaw comes trouble. The more Fran and Kiera like something, the harder it is for themto share. And they love Jigsaw. Worse, Jigsaw won't gallop far and he won't leap more than acouple of jumps. Is something wrong with the way the twins ride? Or issomething wrong with Jigsaw?

Twins Fran and Kiera agree it would be wonderful to own a pony. One day their father brings them Jigsaw, a Shetland pony who needs a new family. But with Jigsaw comes trouble. The more Fran and Kiera like something, the harder it is for them to share. Illustrations.

Jessie Haas lives in Vermont. She has two horses: Josey, a half-Morgan whom she has had for more than thirty years, and Atherton, a young Morgan. Scamper's costume is based on one the real Scamper wore in 1976, at a Bicentennial horse show. Pinky and Meg were real horses, too, and Patty and Karen rode them.

Among Jessie Haas's very popular books for young readers are the "Beware" series; Appaloosa Zebra: A Horse Lover's Alphabet; Runaway Radish; and Sugaring.She is also the author of many books for older readers, including Fire! My Parents' Story; Unbroken; Will You, Won't You?; Shaper; and Hoofprints: Horse Poems.

In Her Own Words...

"I grew up on a small Vermont farm. My childhood was full of haying, gardening, horseback riding, and animals. I trained my own horse. I was given a goat for my sixteenth birthday. My mother was the town poundkeeper, so we had an endless stream of stray cats and dogs coming through. Lots of them stayed.

"Along with animals, there was reading. Everywhere. Even in the bathtub. I read all the horse stories ever written, as first choice, and then anything else printed on a page. At Wellesley, influenced by Jane Austen and all those horse stories, I wrote my first novel, Keeping Barney. My teacher, Helen Corsa, suggested I send the book to Susan Hirschman, a former student of hers. Greenwillow rejected Keeping Barneywith many useful suggestions. I took them, and the book was accepted a month before I graduated.

"That same month I married Michael Daley, and three years later we built a tiny cabin just uphill from my parents' cow pasture. We had one room at first, with no insulation, no phone, no plumbing, and no electricity-but a very small mortgage. The little house gave us-still gives us-the freedom to pursue our interests without having to get "real jobs." I've worked at a vegetable stand, a village store, and a yarn mill, all part-time, while concentrating mainly on my writing.

"I still live the same kind of life I did growing up. I ride a horse I trained myself. A cat sleeps on my desk as I work. I walk to my parents' farm every day, and I can pick out the exact spot in the pasture where my horse Josey gave me Beware the Mare.

"Writing is a lot like the other things I do. Sometimes it's like planting seeds, and rewriting is a lot like weeding! Then when a story is ripe, it's put in a book to preserve it. Other times, writing feels more like riding, a process of balance, rebalance, and profound concentration. A story can go sour, just like a horse. You have to push it, but not too hard, and keep it moving freely forward.

"I love the challenge of trying to put the truth down on paper. I want to make the words transparent, so that the page becomes an open window. I hope to pass along, through my stories, the joy and strength that others have given to me."