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.

Reviews

"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."