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 be 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 meeting 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.
