A Filly for Laura
By Ashley Hotter
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Published: Jan. 28, 2014
ASIN: B00I51XD5K
Amazon Synopsis:
When Laura and her brother go to live with their foster
parents on a farm in Montana, Laura never thought she would be happy. Then she
meets Mae, the beautiful, chocolate-brown, pregnant mustang. As Laura learns to
take care of Mae and helps to prepare for
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My Thoughts:
Laura
is an 8-year-old child whose parents have died. She and her brother Kayden are
in foster care on a farm and the foster parents Jeriah and Courtney involve
Laura in the care of the horses. Laura has been angry and withdrawn since the
death of her mother.
A
Filly for Laura
is a lovely book that reaches into the heart of a hurting child through
animals. Mae, the horse that Laura is given responsibility for was abandoned by
its mother just as Laura was abandoned by her mother because of her death. The
love and care that Laura lavishes upon the animal is returned by Mae and
gradually Laura's heart softens and she comes out of her shell. Then comes the
day everyone has been waiting for. Mae gives birth to her foal. Everyone is
excited, but none more than Laura.
Jeriah
surprises Laura by giving the filly to Laura for her own. Laura realizes that
she is healing from her grief and that she can feel happy again.
I
loved this book. It showed beautifully how children when faced with grief need
to be given a reason to keep going. Laura's reason was that the horses needed
to be fed and watered. Mae was pregnant and needed someone to care for her. If
Laura was allowed to stay in the house as she wanted, and wallowed in her
grief, it may have taken her a lot longer to emerge from her sorrow.
I
also loved that the author used animals to breach the gap in Laura's heart.
Animals can reach the hurting hearts of children so much better sometimes than
adults, and all without words. Animals themselves seems to be a kind of
therapy.
The
pictures in this book were simple, clear and nicely coloured. Every other page
was illustrated and without text. The opposing page contained the text and the
background was a simple beige background with a tone-on-tone farm landscape
with horses in the forground.
The
readability was suitable for middle-grade students (age 9-12) but the book
would be suitable for younger children if the book were read to them.
The
themes in this book that could be brought up for discussion with children would
include foster parenting and death of a parent. These topics can be difficult,
but this book easily creates an opening for such a discussion
I
thought A Filly for Laura was well-written. I gave it a rating of 5 stars out
of 5.
Thank
you to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and
honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
Ashley Hotter lives in Montana on a
farm with her husband, Ricky, and two daughters, Jacey and Rosalie. On her farm
she raises cattle, hogs, and goats. She has one cat, a Maine coon named
Whisper, and four dogs: Bobo, a lab mix, Snuff a border collie, Prince, a long
hair dachshund, and Khloe, a Jack Russell terrier. She also has three miniature
horses, Scout, Candy, and Buttercup. Ashley is a member of The National Writers
Association and the International Association of Aspiring Writers.
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