Some horses you choose. Some horses choose you.

Jack was once a champion, a sleek black horse so finely trained he could turn on a whispered word, with a girl who believed in him. By the time Donna and Jay found him again, he was starving in a bare and dusty pen, blind in one eye, and almost too weak to lift his head. They brought him home to the 5 Daughters Ranch, and a year of patient care slowly brought the old horse back to life.

Then a fearless, barefoot little girl named Bryer climbed the fence to look him right in the eye. She did not see his one eye or his hard past. She saw a friend worth loving. And the horse who let no one touch his face lowered his great head all the way down to her.

This is the true story of the bond between a one-eyed horse and the child who believed in him, from his rescue and his summer at the animal hospital to the brave, tender goodbye that taught a family that love matters more than any ribbon. It is a story about second chances, gentle hearts, and seeing the good in someone the world has overlooked.

Written for readers ages 8 to 11, Jack and the Girl Who Believed in Him is Book 2 in the 5 Daughters Ranch series, drawn from the real animals and real children author Donna Minton Williams loves. The book includes a Guide for Teachers and Families with discussion questions, vocabulary, and a hands-on activity, making it a warm fit for the classroom or the family read aloud shelf.