Timmy the ticked off pony and the poo of excitement by Magda Szubanski

Illus. by Dean Rankine. Scholastic, 2020. ISBN: 9781743832165. 40pp.
Recommended. This is the first book in a new series by the hilarious Magda Szubanski, and she really delivers the laughs with this one.
It follows the story of Timmy who is a self-centred, cranky, and bold pony that believes he is a gift to everyone who knows him. He has the flashy cars, a big house and servants to complete his lifestyle until one day things go very wrong for him . . .
He thinks that he is making his big debut and during an audition for a big movie, he sees his dream pony and well, he does the poo of excitement. Timmy almost gets through the shock and uses it to his benefit, but it seems that he is not a one trick pony!
This story is funny, but also easy to read so will certainly suit children that are emerging from levelled books and wanting to be independent readers. The text is clear, has lots of space around it and is beside the wonderful illustrations by Dean Rankine. There are some interesting words used which children will enjoy and it predictable enough to give them confidence to continue.
The illustrations deserve another mention as they are so funny, add huge value to the text and the pops of green (very reminiscent of the Hot Dog series by Anh Do) are really eye catching, but do not clutter the page. I think that readers who enjoy Anh Do's series (Hot Dog or Weir Do) would also love Timmy the ticked-off pony, as it is of a similar level and structure.
I am really looking forward to reading the second instalment of the Timmy the ticked-off pony series and cannot wait to see how he enacts his revenge . . .
Lauren Fountain