A Foal Called Storm

A Foal Called Storm by Helen Peters is a warm, gentle farm story for 7 year olds about a frightened foal who turns up the morning after a storm.

What happens

Jasmine lives on Oak Tree Farm. Her mum's the local vet, and Jasmine rescues animals (lots of them, much to her parents' despair). One morning after a huge thunderstorm, she finds a chestnut foal standing alone in an empty field.

He's soaking wet, trembling and limping, with a nasty cut on his back leg. He's far too young to be away from his mum. So where has he come from? And who would just leave him there?

Jasmine and her best friend Tom name him Storm. Then they set about winning his trust. Their clever idea is Mistletoe, Jasmine's kind old donkey, and the scene where the two of them slowly sniff each other and make friends is really sweet.

Meanwhile there's chaos in the house. Jasmine has agreed to look after two house rabbits, and she hasn't exactly told her parents. On the very same day, Dad's Aunty Eva comes to stay. She hates animals and moans about everything (Jasmine calls her Aunty Evil, and honestly, fair enough!).

You learn a LOT about caring for a foal along the way. How to read his ears. Why a donkey helps. How Mum checks his teeth to guess his age. It never feels like a lesson though. It's just Jasmine being brilliant with animals.

There's a properly scary moment when Storm panics and kicks Tom, who bangs his head and has to be checked over at hospital. He's fine. But Jasmine feels awful, because Tom had tried to warn her and she wouldn't listen. It's a nice, honest bit for any child who's ever been sure they knew best.

If your reader loves animals as much as Jasmine does, this is a real treat.

What to read next

If this one goes down well, go back to where her rescues began in A Piglet Called Truffle. Jasmine is at a grumpy neighbour's farm when she spots something tiny moving in the straw, underneath the biggest of the new piglets.