The Red Pony:A sweet and shocking novel that chronicles a young boy''s journey toward maturity through his relationship with a pony he''d long dreamed of, before encountering the harsh reality of life. Set in a rural American environment that oscillates between innocence and violence, Steinbeck''s deeply human style depicts the features of loss, fear, and disappointment, as if teaching the reader how a child''s heart grows in the face of loss.A short novel, yet deeply moving, it lingers in the memory long after the final page is turned.