Hilda Boden

Hilda Boden is actually a pseudonym for the author's real name Hilda Morris Bodenham. She was born on 17 September 1901 in Staffordshire, the daughter of a master tinsmith. She married Robert Bodenham in 1922 and had three children. She lived in Wales.

Hilda did not start writing until relatively late in life. She said she told stories to her own children while they sat "toasting crumpets by the fire" but it was not until they were grown that she felt she had time to start writing her stories down. She began writing articles about dogs and ponies for Home magazine based on her children's experiences. And in 1947 she wrote her first book, a pony story called Pony Trek.

Like many of Primrose Cumming's and Monica Edward's books, her pony stories are often set against a farming background, with interesting descriptions of old-style farming methods. As well as pony stories Hilda Boden also wrote many other non-pony children's books, most with a countryside or mystery theme. Of all her books her favourite she said was Faraway Farm a non-pony book which was published in 1961. It was also perhaps the most critically acclaimed and widely published of all her books, becoming a Junior Literary Guild selection and being published all over the world. She also wrote a book set in Australia called Boomerang about school life down under after she had visited her son who lived there.

She eventually decided to stop writing children's books before she got too old and "out of touch" with young readers.

Like fellow children's author Judith Berrisford, she was also an expert on gardening and wrote many articles on the subject, as well as writing for BBC Radio and writing poetry. She was undoubtedly a very busy multi-talented lady!

Joanna Series:

1) JOANNA'S SPECIAL PONY
(BURKE 1960)
Paperback edition published by Burke in 1964
It was also published in a 3 in 1 omnibus with two Sheila Chapman stories called PONY ADVENTURE (see below)
EDITIONS PICTURED: Burke paperback edition.
SUMMARY: An unhappy girl who lives with uncaring and unscrupulous guardians turns to a wild pony for comfort. But when her guardians find out she has tamed and trained the pony they decide to sell it to make some money. How can Joanna save both her pony and the farm she has inherited?
PONYMAD RATING: 2-3 HORSESHOES

2) JOANNA RIDES THE HILLS
(BURKE 1961)
ILLUSTRATED BY LILIAN BUCHANAN
EDITIONS PICTURED: First edition.
SUMMARY: Joanna leaves her farm to stay with her friends the Whitleys, but once again the farm is in danger from an unscrupulous caretaker.

Other Editions:

PONY ADVENTURE
(BURKE 1964)
Fairly rare.
SUMMARY: 3 in 1 omnibus edition containing Joanna's Special Pony along with two Sheila Chapman titles, Pony From Fire and Mystery Pony.

Collectors Info:
The second book in the series is by far the hardest to find of the pair, although the first is not common either. The omnibus is also rare and can be expensive, due mainly to the presence of stories by the highly collectable author Sheila Chapman.

Horse & Pony Books:

PONY TREK
(A & C BLACK 1947) 
ILLUSTRATED BY MARY SHILABEER
SUMMARY: Twins John and Jennifer have outgrown their old pony Primrose and must reluctantly pass her on to their younger brother. However their mother cheers them up by telling them they are setting off to Wales to buy two Welsh ponies. And to add to the excitement the three are going to have a short holiday there and then trek back home with the new ponies!
PONYMAD RATING: 2 HORSESHOES

ONE MORE PONY
(A & C BLACK 1952)
ILLUSTRATED BY MARY SHILABEER
SUMMARY: Sisters Jacky and Pat impetuously buy an ill-treated pony and take him back to the family farm. There are already a number of horses on the farm so he is christened 'One More.' Can the pony prove he is more than just one more pony but is special in his own right?
PONYMAD RATING: 2 HORSESHOES

TREASURE TROVE
(LUTTERWORTH 1955)
SUMMARY: Holiday adventure story with some pony content. Three children are delighted to be spending their holidays in the countryside where they search for hidden treasure and go riding.

PONY BOY
(LUTTERWORTH 1958)
SUMMARY: Colin, out helping his farmer father look for lost sheep, rescues a wild Welsh pony which has been trapped by snow and calls him Merlyn. But he doesn't know how to train a pony. Then he meets Lucy who knows all about ponies and who helps him school Merlyn. He soon finds he is a natural horseman and Merlyn turns into a superb riding pony. Lucy's father wants to buy Merlyn for his daughter but she refuses to take the pony away from her friend. But when disaster strikes on the farm and his parents need money, Colin knows he must sell his beloved pony…
PONYMAD RATING: 3 HORSESHOES

PONY GIRL
(LUTTERWORTH 1959)
SUMMARY: Molly is devastated when she learns she must leave her home on a farm in Ireland to move to London. But in the midst of the city she finds a neglected pony which needs her help and makes her realise that London is not devoid of horses after all!
PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES

LITTLE GREY PONY
(LUTTERWORTH 1960)
Paperback edition published by Lutterworth in 1975
EDITIONS PICTURED: First edition, paperback edition.
SUMMARY: Unusual pony story about a girl confined to a wheelchair after a riding accident. She finds new hope in life when she is given a little grey pony and trap and learns to drive it. Her life changes even more when she and her sister go on holiday to the Roman Wall in Northumbria and meet a very special builder working on the wall.
PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES
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NOEL AND THE DONKEYS
(BURKE 1960)
ILLUSTRATED BY DOROTHY CLARK
EDITION PICTURED: First edition
SUMMARY: Younger reader's lightly humourous donkey story. Part of the 'Noel' series for younger readers about a little boy's adventures. Not sure if donkeys feature in any of the other books in the series: I am researching this at the moment.
Noel, alarmed at the prospect of living with an unpleasant great aunt after his father dies, runs away. He befriends young Sammy who is giving donkey rides on the beach whilst his grandfather is ill. Sammy's grandma offers Noel a summer job helping with the donkeys. But things don't go well: Noel's attempt to disguise himself comes a cropper and Rumshus, the other boy who helps with the donkeys becomes jealous of Noel and tries to get him into trouble...
PONYMAD RATING: 3 HORSESHOES
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Collectors Info:
There was a paperback edition of Little Grey Pony, but the others were not reprinted in paperback. Little Grey Pony and Pony Girl were part of the Crown Pony Library, however Pony Boy was considered a 'boy's book' and was part of a counterpart boy's adventure library.

Although none of the titles are common, for the most part they are fairly easy to find in the UK and usually not too expensive. The earliest two books  and the Noel title are probably the hardest to find, especially with jackets. The books are all harder to find in the USA and Australia, although not impossible by any means and if you do find them they are not usually too expensive.

Unusually for children's books of the era, many of these titles were not illustrated, which is a bit of a shame.