[When Pamela in Season of Ponies] is given her great-grandmother's curious amulet,… with its cryptic message, "Give the searching heart an eye, and magic fills a summer's sky," it carries her into adventures in an imaginary world. Here are the challenge and the paradox of fantasy, for in the clear light of the unreal world, everyday disappointments are obscured and truth is revealed. Summoned by the sound of a flute, Pamela finds, in a forest clearing, a boy with a herd of beautiful pastel ponies, strangely resembling her prized collection of little glass ponies at home. Joyous days follow; then, during an evil, terror-filled night, she discovers the moving power of courage and steadfast faith. The writing is, on the whole, rich and expressive. Turbulent, unhappy Pamela, offset by the conventionalized adult characters, is all the more striking.

Ethel L. Heins, "'Season of Ponies'," in The Horn Book...