Christine Pullein-Thompson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Christine Pullein-Thompson
Three sisters, her elder sister Josephine is on the left c. 1942
Born	1 October 1925 Wimbledon
Died	2 December 2005 Norwich
Nationality	British
Other names	Christine Keir
Occupation	writer
Known for	books about ponies
Spouse(s)	Julian Popescu
Children	Charlotte Pullein-Thompson
Relatives	Diana Pullein-Thompson (twin) Josephine Pullein-Thompson (sister)

Christine Pullein-Thompson (1925 – 2005) was a British writer who loved horses. She was famous for her many pony books. Her mother, her two sisters, and even her daughter also wrote pony books! Together, their family wrote over 200 books for kids. Christine herself wrote more than 100 of these amazing stories. She sometimes used the name Christine Keir.

Life of a Pony Writer

Christine Pullein-Thompson was born in Wimbledon, England. Her father, Harold Pullein-Thompson, was a brave soldier. He had a special award called the Military Cross. Her mother, Joanna Cannan, was also a writer. She is known for starting the idea of pony books in 1936.

Christine was a twin, born after her sister Diana. They also had an older sister, Josephine, and an older brother, Denis. All three sisters grew up to be writers. Their brother, Denis, became a successful actor and playwright.

Growing Up with Horses

The family lived in a large house in Rotherfield Peppard, Oxfordshire. This house, called The Grove, even had its own stables! Christine learned to ride horses when she was just seven years old. She and her sisters loved to compete in horse riding events.

Their childhood adventures with horses inspired many of their books. They even wrote a book together about their country childhood. It was called Fair Girls and Grey Horses. The girls had a unique education. Unlike their brother, who went to Eton College, they were taught at home by their mother.

When Christine and her twin sister were fourteen, they started a riding school at their home. Their older sister, Josephine, who was fifteen, also helped. The riding school helped the family earn extra money. The three sisters taught many people how to ride.

First Books and Adventures

In 1946, Christine helped write her first book, It Began With Picotee. She created this book with her two sisters back in 1941. Her sisters each published their own books that same year. Christine's first book written all by herself was We Rode to the Sea in 1948.

Christine and her twin sister Diana dreamed of becoming professional horse riders in America. Christine went to Virginia to start working with horses. But Diana could not join her in 1952. Doctors found out Diana had tuberculosis. Christine returned home to be with her sister. Diana went to Switzerland to get better, thanks to the new National Health Service.

In 1952, the family's stables closed. Their mother decided not to keep them open. Christine had taught a young man named Julian Popescu to ride horses there. In 1954, Christine met Julian again, and they got married.

Later in her life, during the 1970s, Christine had a bad back. Sadly, she had to stop riding horses.

Continuing to Write

Christine wrote several sequel books to the famous story of Black Beauty. In 1975, she teamed up with her sisters again. They wrote "Black Beauty's Family" together. This book had three stories about Black Beauty's relatives. Christine wrote about a racehorse named Black Velvet.

Christine was also a member of PEN International. This is a group for writers around the world. Her older sister, Josephine, was even the president of this group. Christine also started two groups for Riding for the Disabled. This helps people with disabilities learn to ride horses. Besides running the stables, she loved animals. All four of her children were members of the Pony Club.

Death and Legacy

Christine Pullein-Thompson wrote over 100 books. About 40 of these books were not even about ponies! She wrote many book series. Some were about a ghost horse, and others were about a dog named Jessie. She passed away on December 2, 2005, in Norwich.

Works

• We Rode to the Sea (1948)
• We Hunted Hounds (1949)
• I Carried The Horn (1951)
• Goodbye To Hounds (1952)
• Riders From Afar (1954)
• Phantom Horse (1955)
• A Day To Go Hunting (1956)
• The First Rosette (1956)
• The Second Mount (1957)
• Stolen Ponies (1957)
• The Impossible Horse (1957)
• Three To Ride (1958)
• The Lost Pony (1959)
• Ride By Night (1960)
• The Horse Sale (1960)
• For Want Of A Saddle (1960)
• Giles And The Elephant (1960)
• The Empty Field (1961)
• Giles And The Greyhound (1961)
• The Open Gate (1962)
• Bandits In The Hills (1962)
• Giles And The Canal (1962)
• The Gipsy Children (1962)
• The Doping Affair (1963, later published as The Pony Dopers)
• The Eastmans In Brittany (1964)
• Granny Comes To Stay (1964)
• No-One At Home (1964)
• Homeless Katie (1964)
• The Boys From The Cafe (1965)
• The Eastmans Move House (1965)
• A Dog In A Pram (1965)
• The Eastmans Find A Boy (1966)
• The Stolen Car (1966)
• A Day To Remember (1966)
• The Lost Cow (1966)
• Little Black Pony (1967)
• Robbers In The Night (1967)
• Room To Let (1968)
• Nigel Eats His Words (1969)
• Phantom Horse Comes Home (1970)
• Riders On The March (1970)
• Phantom Horse Goes To Ireland (1972; later republished as Phantom Horse Disappears)
• They Rode To Victory(1972)
• A Pony Scrapbook (1972)
• I Rode A Winner (1973)
• A Second Pony Scrapbook (1973)
• Follyfoot Pony Quiz Book (1974)
• Black Velvet (1975)
• Good Riding (non-fiction, 1975)
• Christine Pullein-Thompson's Book of Pony Stories (1975)
• A Pony To Love (non-fiction, 1975)
• Strange Riders At Black Pony Inn (1976)
• Mystery At Black Pony Inn (1976)
• Pony Patrol (1977)
• Pony Patrol S.O.S. (1977)
• Pony Patrol Fights Back (1977)
• Christine Pullein-Thompson's Second Book of Pony Stories (1977)
• Ride Better And Better (with her sisters, non-fiction, 1977)
• Blossom (1978)
• Pony Parade (1978)
• Prince At Black Pony Inn (1978)
• Secrets At Black Pony Inn (1978)
• Riding For Fun (non-fiction) (1978)
• Improve Your Riding (non-fiction, 1979)
• Phantom Horse In Danger (1980)
• Pony Patrol And The Mystery Horse (1981)
• Phantom Horse Goes To Scotland (1981; later republished as Phantom Horse Island Mystery)
• Father Unknown (1981)
• Black Pioneer (1982)
• Ponies In The Park (1982)
• Ponies In The Forest (1983)
• Ponies In The Blizzard (1984)
• Wait For Me Phantom Horse (1985; later republished as Phantom Horse Wait For Me)
• A Home For Jessie (1986)
• Please Save Jessie (1987)
• Stay At Home, Ben (1987)
• Careless Ben (1988)
• The Big Storm (1988)
• The Road Through The Hills (1988)
• Candy Goes To The Gymkhana (1989)
• Candy Stops A Train (1989)
• Catastrophe At Black Pony Inn (1989)
• Good Deeds At Black Pony Inn (1989)
• Smoke In The Hills (1989)
• Across The Frontier (1990)
• Runaway Ben (1990)
• Come Home, Jessie (1991)
• The Long Search (1991)
• I Want That Pony! (1993)
• A Pony In Distress (1994)
• The Best Pony For Me! (1995)
• Fair Girls and Grey Horses (1996) (with her sisters).
• Horsehaven (1996)
• Bedtime Pony Stories (1997)
• Sundance Saves The Day (1997)
• More Bedtime Pony Stories (1997)
• The Pony Test (1997)
• Incredible Pony Tales (1998)
• Magical Pony Tales (1998)
• The Pony Picnic (1998)
• Havoc At Horsehaven (1999)
• Horsehaven Lives On (1999)
• A Yo-Yo For Sam (1999)

Note: The Impossible Horse was also published under the name Christine Keir. This might have been a pen name she used. The book Riding (1983) was also published under the same name.