Call the Horse Lucky tells the story of a horse who was removed from a situation when he was found to be suffering from neglect. When a young girl named Mel notices something wrong with a horse in a pasture, she takes action. With the help of her grandmother, she contacts a humane society to investigate. Lucky ends up being removed from his situation and taken to a horse rescue ranch. Mel forms a bond with the horse, and although she isn’t in a position to adopt him, she can still connect with him through volunteering.
Why use this book?
- Students may become inspired by the actions of Mel and motivated to help someone in need.
- Students will also learn that there are ways to make connections with animals even if they don’t own them.
Ask your students:
- What inferences can you make about Lucky’s feelings from the pictures and the words throughout the story? How does Lucky’s personality come out in the story?
- What inferences can you make about the type of person Mel is from the pictures and text?
- How did the rescue ranch care for Lucky? At the rescue ranch, Mel says that Lucky has made a friend. Do you believe animals can have friends? How might they demonstrate their friendship? How do you show your friendship to others?
- Lisa, from the rescue ranch, says, “…sometimes socializing with a bunch of strangers is hard on a horse that isn’t well. And the other horses might bully him.” Would you like to meet lots of new people when you aren’t feeling well? In what ways do you think a horse can bully another horse? Biting, kicking, chasing away from food sources, isolating from the rest of the herd.
Activities:
- Be Descriptive! – As a class, revisit the pictures of Lucky on the first few pages of the book. Ask students to select adjectives that describe Lucky at this point in his life. Then, ask students: What messages about the horse’s health are being conveyed from the illustrations on these pages? Does Lucky look healthy? How would you feel if you were in Lucky’s hooves? Next, have students retell the story from Lucky’s perspective by creating a comic strip, a song, a poem, a puppet play, a play, or by writing a short narrative. Encourage students to use descriptive words and other literary techniques to enhance imagery.
Call a Horse Lucky is part of the AnimalTales program. Above is a small selection of the discussion questions and activities that can be found in the Grade Four Teacher’s Guide. For additional discussion questions and activities, request the FREE book-lending program for your class.
Additional Resources Related to Book:
- Reporting an Animal in Distress – Information on what is required when you report an animal in distress to the Alberta SPCA. All calls are anonymous.
