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This is a picture-book story I wrote for a class of kindergarten and first graders from
Darrington Elementary School.
A Horse for Andi
 Susan K. Marlow
Andi Carter loved horses.
Every day, she climbed to the top rail and watched the horses run around the corral.
Sometimes she chased the mares and foals in the pasture.
When it rained, she went to the barn and talked to the horses.
The horses all loved, Andi, and Andi loved the horses.
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But Andi wanted a horse of her very own.
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One day Andi watched her big brother Chad rope a stubborn calf.
"I bet I could do that if I had my own horse," she said in a wistful voice.
 Chad gave her a lasso. "Here. You can ride Cocoa and pretend you are roping a calf," he said with a grin.
Andi pouted. That was not the same thing at all.
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She could not rope a calf with Cocoa. He was a pony. A very small pony.
Andi could run faster than Cocoa could trot.
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Andi saw her big sister Melinda brushing her horse, Panda. They looked like best friends.
"If I had a horse of my own, we would be best friends," Andi told Melinda.
 "You can help me brush Panda," Melinda said. "She can be your friend."
"No thank you," Andi said and walked away. "That is not the same thing at all."
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The next day Andi saw her brother Mitch racing his horse, Chase, across the rangeland.
When he rode by, she yelled up at him, "If I had a horse of my own, we would win every race!"
 Mitch laughed. "You may ride Chase and win a race if you'd like."
Andi scowled. That was not the same thing at all.
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At supper Andi told her mother, "Everybody has a horse of their own. Except me. When will I get my own horse?"
 "You may ride any horse you like on the ranch," her mother said, "but you are not quite ready for a horse of your own."
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So Andi took a lasso and pretended to rope a calf.
She brushed Panda with her sister Melinda.
She let Mitch put her on his horse, Chase, and race with the ranch hands.
 But it was not the same thing at all.
Andi wanted a horse of her own.
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One morning, very early in the day, Andi felt someone pull the covers from her bed.
She rubbed her eyes and saw her brother Chad picking her up.
 "Where are you taking me?" she asked sleepily.
"There's something in the barn I want you to see," Chad said.
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When they entered the barn, Chad opened a stall door.
He set Andi down inside the stall.
 Andi saw a pale golden foal standing next to its mother. It had four wobbly legs and a short little tail.
It was the prettiest baby horse Andi had ever seen.
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"Is this horse for me?" Andi asked in a whisper.
She reached out a hand. The golden foal nibbled her fingers.
"Yes, Andi," Chad said with a smile. "She is all yours. Happy birthday. What will you name her?"
 Andi threw her arms around her very own baby horse.
"Her name is Taffy, and we're going to be best friends."
The End
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Here's where you can read stories about Andi and her friend, Cory, when they were young. It's also the place where I will post any stories that you write about Andi and Cory.
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How did Melinda's horse come to be named Panda?