Tully and Roly the Pony

A mesmerizing story about the friendship between a little girl and a pony.
Little Tully lives on a cosy farm together with her grandmothers and dreams about having her very own pony. A friend that she can ride, pet, braid, and do all fun things with that Tully herself loves to do.

When she encounters Roly the pony at the nearby stables, she is convinced that this is the pony of her dreams. But suspicious Roly isn’t as sure and turns out to be as snappy and saucy as Tully herself. The two have a bumpy start. Roly is not willing to let Tully saddle up for a ride and boss her around. The stubborn pony has a mind of its own. Frustrated Tully has second thoughts: will the two find common ground and ever understand one another?

Tully and Roly the Pony is a charming start to a new picture book series. A heart-warming story about friendship, understanding and accepting one for who they are despite the differences. The thoughtful narration is combined with vivid and bubbly illustrations created by Ninka Reittu, the talent behind the picture book series Messi and Mystery Cat and Finlandia-nominee You Are Super Loved. Her books have been translated into nine languages to date.

Publishing information

Year of publication

2021

Page count

Original title

Ystäväni Pulla Vehnänen

Original language

Finnish

Original publisher

Otava

Rights sold

Serbian
Danish
German
Czech
English (Mainland China)
Macedonian
Polish
French

Awards & nominations

Nominations

2022

Storytel Awards

About the author

Ninka Reittu (b. 1982) is an award-winning author and illustrator as well as an art teacher and artisan. She is based in Liperi, Eastern Finland, where she lives in an old vicarage in the beautiful Finnish countryside together with her family. Reittu’s images and texts are both imbued with an uniquely heart-warming air. Her heartfelt Super series about a father and son relationship has been nominated for various awards. Her book You Are Super Loved (Sinä olet superrakas) was also nominated for Finland’s most significant book award, the Finlandia Junior in 2017.The author’s books have been published in several languages around the world, including the successful picture book series Messi and Mystery Cat which has been sold in five languages. Ninka Reittu is also the illustrator of the popular series Princess Pintsize.

Author page

Reviews

"A great story of friendship with an utterly beautiful illustration. A wonderful and summery start to a new series of books, which I think is quite suitable for young and older readers alike."

kirjatkertovat.fi

"This book teaches that you can do all sorts of fun things with new friends - whether human or animal - if both sides want to; that it is important to trust each other and to compromise sometimes; that no one - neither human nor animal - should be forced to do anything that causes fear or unhappiness. This is the only way that living together can work well. The enchantingly illustrated farmyard idyll by Ninka Reittu accompanies the text perfectly. A clear recommendation from me for this picture book for reading aloud and clowning around for children aged four and over and all little horse fans."

Birgit Arnold/ Finnland-tour.de

"Ninka Reittu hits the nail on the head in her children's book Tully and Roly the Pony. Friends don’t have to like all the same things, but new friendships can suddenly arise between all types of characters. It is important to discuss this topic with children."

Maaseudun Tulevaisuus- Stina Haaso