Wild Horse Annie

February 1, 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

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2018
Polio survivor Velma Bronn Johnston, known as Wild Horse Annie, fights to save mustang horses from slaughter.Since she was "just a speck of a girl," Annie has loved the mustangs on her family's Nevada ranch. After Annie contracts polio at age 11, emerging with a bent spine and twisted face, she dreams of galloping with wild herds. But by the time Annie gets married and starts her own ranch, the herds have been killed by cattle ranchers and hunters. In folksy language matching Annie's quoted quips, Fern recounts Annie's campaigns to protect mustangs first locally, then federally. Refusing to "hush up" and unfazed by threats, Annie sends hundreds of letters and addresses government officials even though speaking in public makes her feel like "a cat on a hot frying pan." Finally, help from her "secret weapon"--an enthusiastic letter-writing, fundraising "pencil brigade" of schoolchildren--leads to the 1971 passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. Salerno's sun-drenched illustrations capture the equally hardy spirits of the mustangs and Annie herself. Though the author acknowledges Annie's disfigurement, chronic pain, and self-consciousness, Annie's most prominent features are alternately her stubbornly scowling eyebrows and wide, warm grin. An author's note provides further background on mustangs and Johnston's pioneering efforts. Annie and her husband are white; the children's complexions vary.An uplifting tale of animal rights, perseverance, and kids' power to make a difference. (bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)

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March 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.