Little Pearl by Melanie Sue Bowles

Little Pearl by Melanie Sue Bowles

In this soulful sequel to the crowd favorite Liberty Biscuit, a young teenager learns that no dream ever came true without believing it would.

Katherine Pearl Baker—“Kip” for short—has just gone from being the only child on her family’s rural peach farm to becoming a big sister. As her world and the people in it change in order to welcome a tiny new family member, Kip finds herself afloat, wondering if the place she’s carved out in life is the right one for her, after all.

While wandering one day in the woods she loves, Kip finds an old fence post bearing odd marks that appear to be symbols from a time long ago. Her discovery leads her to once again uncover a family secret and stories as yet untold about the ones she loves. What she learns tests her cherished relationship with her grandfather, as she recognizes a certain kind of loneliness within him for the first time and then must face what the resolution of that loneliness might mean.

Adding a starving horse named “Pearl” to her herd of rescued horses and beloved donkey Liberty Biscuit provides Kip a needed purpose, and the barn becomes her refuge as she struggles with her own uncomfortable secret. Desperate to tell her parents but embarrassed and unsure of how, it takes the return of a boy she trusts for her to finally admit that her path might be different than others planned it would be. The trouble is, Kip isn’t sure she can be brave enough to put her voice to her thoughts and share them.

As the sweet-natured Little Pearl gradually regains her strength and beauty through Kip’s thoughtful care, and the wary and distant Raven begins to trust Kip’s presence and her touch, Kip feels the flame of a new dream flicker to life. With the birth of this dream, a level of understanding grows, not only of her horses, but of her grandfather, and eventually, of herself.

Author Melanie Sue Bowles was born and raised in Sylvan Lake, Michigan, a small village near Pontiac. She moved to Florida in her early twenties where she earned her living as a professional firefighter/medic; it's where she met her husband Jim. After acquiring her first horse and becoming immersed in the equestrian community, Melanie discovered a disturbing amount of mistreatment endured by too many horses and vowed to make a difference. While continuing to work at the fire department, Melanie and Jim set out to create a sanctuary for abused, elderly and unwanted horses.

In 1991 Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary was established, and readers were introduced to Melanie's graceful heart when she chronicled the start-up of this award winning facility in her inspiring debut book, The Horses of Proud Spirit.

Melanie's writing is powerful and filled with emotion. Her books are not just for horse lovers or dog lovers; they are for anyone who wants to be uplifted and inspired. These heartwarming stories speak of living beyond ourselves, living a life of purpose and finding ways to give back to the world around us. The Proud Spirit books were the inspiration for an Emmy Award winning PBS Documentary which is currently airing nationwide.