Call the Horse Lucky - by Juanita Havill (Hardcover)

About the Book

A girl's desire to help a starving horse changes his future, as well as hers.

Book Synopsis

Call the Horse Lucky presents the issue of horse neglect in simple, straightforward language and compelling illustrations that enable young readers to identify with the girl, Mel, and the horse, Lucky. When visiting her grandmother, Mel discovers a neglected horse. Moved by the sight of his sad, glazed eyes and protruding ribs, Mel initiates a rescue; the horse is transported to a rescue ranch, where Mel learns about horse care. She comes to realize that since she lives in town and her family can't afford the expense of a horse, she can't adopt Lucky. When Lucky recovers and moves to a horse therapy ranch, Mel is thrilled that she can volunteer there and continue to bond with the horse she helped save.

Call the Horse Lucky is for children from ages five through their teens. The reader learns that though he or she may not be able to own a horse, he or she can interact with horses in other ways, including volunteering at rescue or therapy facilities. The final page offers factual, accurate, comprehensive information about saving and caring for horses.

Juanita Havill is the author of over thirty children's books--picture books, early readers, poetry, and novels. Her novel in verse Grow won the 2009 Carol D. Reiser Children's Book Award.

Award-winning artist Nancy Lane has illustrated more than twenty children's books, including A Home for Dakota (The Gryphon Press, 2008), which won the Humane Society of the United States KIND Best Picture Book of the Year Award.

Review Quotes

"Call the Horse Lucky is a gift to all readers. As an equine veterinarian
for many years and dedicated to teaching correct animal husbandry, I
applaud this book. The story, the husbandry discussed, the solutions
to a problem, the economic values and the information in the
epilogue are all really correct and to the point in my opinion. The
illustrations/paintings are an additional gift, and I felt as if the people
were all someone I had met in my practice."
--Pat Frederick, DVM

Kirkus Reviews
"A surprisingly effective story about horse rescue. While riding bikes in the country, Mel and her grandma see a thin, neglected-looking horse alone in a barren field. Mel returns the next day; seeing that the horse limps and appears to be suffering, she convinces her grandma to call animal control. A few weeks later the horse is rescued and taken to a farm, where he is properly fed and given veterinary and farrier care. Mel wishes she could adopt him, but she realizes without angst that her family doesn't have the resources. Instead, Lucky goes to a therapeutic riding center, where Mel volunteers so she can continue to see him. The horse's neglect and recovery are related without melodrama or blame, and the story shows clearly that Mel can make a difference using appropriate channels. Consciously didactic but not offensively so, the story avoids the traps so many other well-meaning animal-rescue tales fall prey to. The watercolor illustrations are just as straightforward and honest as the text, and, given the economy, this book may well see a lot of use."

About the Author

Juanita Havill: Juanita Havill grew up in a small town in Southern Illinois. As a child she loved cats, dogs, horses, and books. Her family had many cats and dogs and she learned about horse ownership from taking care of her own horse Prince, with whom she spent many adventurous hours during her high school years. Her love of books led her to become a writer. Her first book Jamaica's Find illustrated by Anne Sibley O'Brien won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award and was a Reading Rainbow book. Since then she has written over thirty children's books -- picture books, early readers, poetry, and novels. Her novel in verse Grow illustrated by Stanislawa Kodman won the 2009 Carol D. Reiser Children's Book Award and the Santa Monica Public Library Green Prize for Youth Fiction.