A Donkey Called Mistletoe

Helen Peters's A Donkey Called Mistletoe is a gentle farm story for 7 year olds about an old donkey who's about to lose the only home he's ever known.

What happens

It's the tenth Jasmine Green book. Jasmine lives at Oak Tree Farm, where her dad is the farmer and her mum is the vet. Animals in trouble have a way of ending up with her.

Mr Hobson, an elderly farmer down the road, is moving into a care home. He can't take Mistletoe with him. So his gentle brown donkey is going to a sanctuary miles away, and Mr Hobson doesn't think he'll ever see him again.

Jasmine can't bear it. She has a plan, of course. And she hasn't exactly mentioned it to her parents.

Worth knowing before you hand it over

The book opens just after Dad's old spaniel Bramble has died in her sleep, and the whole family is sad. Her death happens before the story starts and it's told gently. Later on, Jasmine's little brother Manu tries to ride Mistletoe and gets dragged across the orchard. He's not badly hurt, but it's a proper heart-in-mouth moment.

If your reader has lost a pet of their own, the way the animals comfort each other here might mean a lot. Dotty, Jasmine's pet deer, has stopped eating since Bramble died. Then she meets Mistletoe.

You learn LOADS about donkeys along the way. Did you know they don't have waterproof coats? Or that you shouldn't bribe them with treats? Jasmine and Tom muck out, groom, pick out hooves and practise "walk on", and it never feels like a lesson.

The loveliest scene is with Harrison, a new boy in Manu's class. He's autistic, he wears headphones that make things quieter, and he loves bugs. Watching him and Mistletoe slowly make friends in the orchard is really moving.

Will Mum and Dad change their minds? Your reader will be desperate to know.

This edition is the American one, so it's Mom and soccer rather than Mum and football (your reader may spot that).

What to read next

If your reader wants to meet Jasmine right at the start, A Piglet Called Truffle is where her rescues begin, with a visit to a grumpy farmer's pig shed.