Antonia and the Big Competition

Book excerpt: Antonia’s greatest love is riding horses. So it’s no surprise that her dream is to become a successful show jumper. But when her riding instructor presents an opportunity for Antonia to realize her dream by entering her for a big show-jumping competition, Antonia’s courage seems to fail her. After all, not only is Antonia the youngest entrant in the competition, but Elfin Dance, the wild gelding she rides, sometimes has a mind of his own. To make matters worse, Alina—Antonia’s antagonist who never misses an opportunity to best her—is entering the competition, too. Does Antonia even stand a chance? A story of perseverance told by Elisabeth Zöller and Brigitte Kolloch, featuring the colorful illustrations of Betina Gotzen-Beek, Antonia and the Big Competition encourages girls to overcome their fears and obstacles in this second book in an exciting new horse series for young readers aged 7 to 10. Readers will learn how to follow their dreams and problem solve by following Antonia's example. The confident and level-headed Antonia is a great role model for young girls and parents will want to continue buying books in this new series as their children strive to be more empowered and a good leader. Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.