Wild at Heart

July 1, 2015
A sweeping introduction to the wild horses of the American West, their past, present, and possible future. Farley, well-known for her wildly popular middle-grade series Phantom Stallion, divides her subject into several parts, opening with the heartfelt story of Wild Horse Annie, one of the first activists determined to save wild horses from abuse and slaughter, and ending with the equally warm stories of several teens working for the same cause. In the middle, she covers the history of wild horses in North America, the instincts that govern horses in the wild, and why and how the horses are disappearing from the wild. While the book is nonfiction, Farley often assumes a horse's or person's fictional point of view to bring an expository section to life. Harder to follow are some of her middle chapters about conflicts between the horses and the Bureau of Land Management. Readers will struggle to make sense of the reason for the inclusion of other details, such as when a contractor legally capturing wild horses finds a small band that has been shot dead. Less emotion and more logic would have created a more compelling argument. Farley includes an author's note, glossary, chapter notes, a bibliography, and an index, but not the one thing young readers would want most: advice on how they too can help the cause of the wild horses. Extremely well-meaning but not quite as well-done. (Nonfiction. 10-14)

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June 1, 2015

Gr 5-8-Wearing her heartfelt agenda on both sleeves, Farley focuses on the plight of feral horses in this country, which are, in her view, being brutally rounded up by the thousands and either relocated or auctioned to "kill buyers" for animal food. Along with statistics (which, she claims, are hard to pin down due to government "secrecy and disorganization"), she presents comments from researchers, uncomfortably explicit eyewitness reports from observers, and even a set of tweets that she sent during an auction as evidence of ongoing cruel treatment and poor management. In appeals to the emotions that are underscored by Farlow's lyrical photos of mustangs running free or posing in graceful stances, Farley also describes the social behavior of wild horses, their history on this continent (cogently arguing that they are still "native species" despite having died out and later reintroduced by European settlers), and the achievements of rescue workers from early champion Velma Johnston to nine young current activists. VERDICT An urgent call to action, supported with detailed endnotes and a substantial bibliography.-John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2015
Grades 6-9 Wild horses were officially declared symbols of the American West in 1971, but it was a long road to get them there, and the effort to protect them is far from over. From the campaign of animal-rights activist Velma Johnston (known as Wild Horse Annie ), beginning in the 1950s, to the efforts of teenagers today, a small but determined group has fought to preserve wild mustangs and to combat the unethical treatment they still face. This volume reaches back into the evolutionary history of the horse before turning a sharp eye to the herd dynamics of wild herds today and the danger mustangs are in due to rough roundups that end with many being sent to slaughterhouses. Interspersed throughout the text are various eyewitness accounts that detail the actions of activists, photographers, and advocates, both on the range and at auctions. The finished book boasts a crisp, square layout with exceptionally eye-catching photography, and a final chapter on children and teens involved in the fight to save wild horses is particularly evocative and will surely usher in a new generation of activists.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)