Wild Horse Annie: Friend of the Mustangs

by Tracey Fern, Steven Salerno (Illustrator)

Overview

"Wild Horse Annie" was the nickname of Velma Bronn Johnston (1912–77), who loved mustangs all her life. When she saw mustangs being rounded up and killed to make room for ranchers' livestock, she knew she had to speak up. In 1950, she began writing letters to local newspapers and politicians, defending the horses' right to roam free.

Many people told Annie to hush up, but they couldn't stop her. She soon became a voice for mustangs throughout the state of Nevada, speaking on their behalf at town halls and meetings.

But Annie was only one person, and she wanted to do more. So she got children to speak up, too, by having them write letters to Washington, D.C., officials to ask them to save the mustangs. Finally, with the help of her young “pencil brigade,” Annie persuaded Congress to pass nationwide laws protecting wild horses and burros on public land nationwide.

Readers will find inspiration in author Tracey Fern and artist Steven Salerno's portrait of an early animal-rights advocate, who spoke up for what she believed in, and empowered a generation of children to be a voice for the voiceless.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374303068
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	02/19/2019
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	1,105,214
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	NC930L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Tracey Fern is the author of several other picture books, including Dare the Wind and Barnum's Bones, both Junior Library Guild selections. She lives in West Newton, Massachusetts.

Steven Salerno has illustrated more than 30 popular picture books, including The Fantastic Ferris Wheel: The Story of Inventor George Ferris, Goldenlocks and the Three Pirates, and The Kid from Diamond Street. His illustrations also appear in advertising, magazines, and product packaging. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, he lives and works in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

03/25/2019

As a girl on her family’s Nevada ranch, Velma Bronn Johnston, known as Annie, fell in love with mustangs. That love sustained her through a devastating bout of childhood polio—“horses took the pain away, at least for a little while.” As an adult and rancher in her own right, she noticed the brutal and inhumane way that wild horses were treated. Her outrage drove her unexpected second career as an animal-rights activist, earned her the nickname “Wild Horse Annie,” and, via a children’s letter-writing campaign, led to federal laws protecting mustangs. Though the issue of how to share land with wild horses remains controversial, Annie’s passion and persistence in the face of long odds resonates. Salerno’s illustrations combine loping lines, sketched details, and rubbed textures to conjure the vanished west of the mid-20th century, and they cleverly balance a running mustang herd with letters stampeding from Annie’s typewriter. Ages 4–7. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

In folksy language matching Annie's quoted quips, Fern recounts Annie's campaigns to protect mustangs. . .Salerno's sun-drenched illustrations capture the equally hardy spirits of the mustangs and Annie herself. . .An uplifting tale of animal rights, perseverance, and kids' power to make a difference.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Salerno’s full-page mixed-media illustrations exude the expanse of the West and invite intimacy with Annie all while maintaining a playful air of adventure. Readers will root for Annie and the mustangs she fought to protect. Teachers can use the book as a springboard for discussions about activism or the impact of habitat loss on wild animals. . .” —School Library Journal

“Annie’s passion and persistence in the face of long odds resonates.” —Publishers Weekly

“This look at how one motivated individual and an army of young idealists can effect change may leave readers with the encouragement needed to tackle their own campaigns.” —The Horn Book

From the Publisher

02/01/2019

Gr 2–5—Velma Bronn Johnston's efforts to protect the wild mustangs of the western United States began in 1950, when she happened upon a truck full of wounded horses bound for the slaughterhouse. Upon learning of the burgeoning practice of rounding up the wild horses for profit or sport, she decided to speak out against the unethical treatment of the animals whose overpopulation was becoming a nuisance to ranchers. Over the course of two decades, Velma, who became known as Wild Horse Annie, tirelessly campaigned for the horses' right to roam free. Fern's account of Bronn Johnston's life and work is fast paced and on point. Readers will be captivated by the story of a Nevada ranch girl who learned to love horses at a young age and spent all of her time around them until she contracted polio at the age of 11 and was unable to ride or even walk. "When Annie left the hospital, her spine was bent and her face was twisted. Everything ached all the time. Part of Annie just wanted to hide inside her house. Instead, she got on a horse." As a member of Wild Horse Annie's pencil brigade 50 years ago, the author brings personal experience to the fascinating account of the dedication that led to the eventual passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. Salerno's full-page mixed-media illustrations exude the expanse of the West and invite intimacy with Annie all while maintaining a playful air of adventure. Readers will root for Annie and the mustangs she fought to protect. Teachers can use the book as a springboard for discussions about activism or the impact of habitat loss on wild animals. VERDICT A fitting choice for any library that has room for an inspirational and thought-provoking biography.—Lynn Van Auken, Oak Bluffs School, MA

School Library Journal