Antonia and the Big Competition

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.

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.

Elisabeth Zöller is a prolific German author who has been writing for over two decades. Prior to her writing career, Zöller had spent seventeen years at various high schools working with children and young adults. Zöller has written nearly one hundred books, which includes her contributions to journals, anthologies, and a number of successful children’s books. She lives in Münster, Germany.

Brigitte Kolloch is a German children’s author. While today Kolloch works as a pediatric nurse in a preterm intensive care unit, she also continues to write new stories and poems for children. Her first book was published in 2003, and since then she has worked on a variety of topics ranging from fairies to eating disorders. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Hanover, Germany.

Betina Gotzen-Beek is a German illustrator who has been working on children’s book illustrations since the mid-1990s. She currently lives in Germany.