Review: ALL THREE: It Began With Picotee

It Began With Picotee is this week's book. It is their first book, and like their mother, all 3 sisters collabrated to do it. It was first published in 1946, the same year as both Diana and Josephine published their first solo books.

It is illustrated by Rosemary Robertson, who was not only a friend of Josephine's, but also did their mother's They Bought Her A Pony.

The blurb reads:-

It began with Picotee, then came Tony, and Pengo and a whole host of other ponies. Some were amenable to discipline, others were decidedly not. But good, or bad, for the three girls who looked after them, the more ponies they had the more they liked it.

It Began With Picotee is rather an apt title, since this began which is was obviously a rather fruitful career for all 3 sisters.

It is, as the blurb suggests, the story of 3 sisters. How much is based on themselves I do not know, but I suspect rather a lot. The first chapter they acquire a second pony - Tony - and they take him hunting. At the time of writing, unlike today, hunting was a key feature of the countryside horsey scene. Thankfully it is not too graphic in it's description so if you accept that hunting went on, it's not liable to offend.

The second chapter is taken up by the girls acquiring yet another pony - Pengo - and without giving too much away, the fun and games they have with him. 

Then in the third chapter they acquire a pony called Imp who they rename Angus. Again like the previous chapter they have - albeit different - fun and games with him.

The fourth chapter is taken up with 3 more ponies that the sisters acquire. One is called Bronx, which the groom says "Mind you sit tight, Miss, 'e didn't 'alf cut some capers in the yard this morning". This is most likely based on the sisters experience themselves as the exact words were used in a 1941 article by the sisters in Riding Magazine.  Again like the first chapter there is a hunting scene but, nothing liable to offend. 

The next few chapters is taken up with schooling which I suspect Josephine may have a hand in. Certainly they acquire no more ponies although there is a horse show the results I will no divulge as to not spoil the story. 

The final chapter is entitled Plenty of Ponies unfortunately contains the n word but it's not used as an insult but a reference to a shade of brown. Thankfully it's the only occurrence of that unfortunate word. It may be noted that none of the PTs used racial slander in their pony books since. Though it you have to remember that this book was originally published and written in the 1940s where attitudes were completely different to a modern audience. 

I quite enjoyed this book. It's a bit rambling in places but overall a decent plot. It's not their finest work but then again you have to remember it's their first work. First works by authors rarely are. Overall a decent effort.