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.