Mooney: A young girl and her new horse

At the close of the Great Depression and the onset of World War II, eight-year-old California tomboy, Betsy Gude, yearned with all her might for a horse. With food rationing, and a Victory Garden to supplement the family’s grocery supply, Betsy knew that a horse would be a luxury her Norwegian immigrant parents couldn’t afford; but she held onto the dream. Then the unexpected happened—Moonbeam, “Mooney” for short, came trotting into Betsy’s life. Based on the author’s own childhood, Mooney is both delightful and heartbreaking, a story of a young girl coming of age on the beaches of San Pedro, California while a war raged overseas.Author Betsy G. Borda was born Betsy Anna Louise Gude to Norwegian immigrant parents in Fresno, California in 1934. She began writing and illustrating this story of her beloved horse Mooney in the early 1950s, and always hoped to publish it one day. Currently 85 years old and living in Portland, Maine, Betsy is extremely excited to finally share this labor of love with you.