I admit to being somewhat stunned by Liberty Biscuit and Little Pearl by Melanie Sue Bowles—in a good way. Readers (like me) may skip over them unless they’re looking for children’s books. Yes, they are heart-warming stories targeted for children ages 9 to 13 but they are so much more. Bowles’ masterful use of dialogue and description is a treat for adult readers, and people of all ages will understand and sympathize with her 13-year-old storyteller (Kip). Both books are captivating, full of mystery, drama and emotion.

Liberty Biscuit

In Liberty Biscuit we meet Kip (Katherine Pearl Baker), the only child of a biracial couple that runs a peach farm with her white grandfather. Kip is sassy but soft-hearted and she longs for a pet, especially a horse. The farm once had horses, but now her father is adamantly against them. When Kip brings home an abused donkey he relents, which opens the door to sheltering two starving horses from the same abusive owner.

The three rescues are healing and beginning to trust Kip when a local judge returns them to their cruel owner. Racked with guilt at what she feels is her betrayal of their trust, Kip must find a way to save the animals.

Little Pearl

Little Pearl continues the story with a maturing Kip (now a big sister) who is struggling with self-doubt about the path most adults expect her to follow. At the same time, the family dynamic is changing in ways she doesn’t understand and must learn to cope with. She finds solace in caring for the donkey (Liberty Biscuit), horses (Raven and Fire) and a new rescue, a sweet mare she names Little Pearl. And she comes up with a way to make a beautiful dream come true.

I read a lot of thrillers that don’t always show human nature in its best light. In contrast, reading these two books left me uplifted and smiling. If you’re looking for a feel-good read for yourself AND your kids, you cannot do better than Liberty Biscuit and Little Pearl.

Writing from the heart

Consider the source: Back in the 1990s Melanie Sue Bowles and her husband Jim founded Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary as a home for unwanted, elderly and abused horses (and more than a few dogs). It has grown to a 180-acre enclave in Norh Carolina where horses and dogs can live out their days in comfort and safety. None are available for adoption. Bowles says, “They’ve given enough.” But you can contribute to their care and read their stories written by Bowles and listed on www.horsesofproudspirit.org.

Liberty Biscuit and Little Pearl are published by Trafalgar Square Books.

Our reviewer

A former senior editor at POLO and SPUR magazines and a contributor to EQUUS, Dale Leatherman worked at New York’s Belmont Park in the 1970s, grooming, ponying and escorting horses to the starting gate.