DAN

About the Book

Dan thinks he wants to be a rancher; his father wants him to enroll in a university. He has been granted a year’s stay at his godparents’ Wyoming ranch to learn what ranching involves. He came to stay with them in early summer. Now he must go thru a winter in the high country, a test even for those from New York state.

Receiving a horse of his own -a young pinto that he names Toby- he finds additional complications: Toby may be blind, he needs training, and his ownership is in question. There are times when work must be done, Dan learns, at a ranch or anywhere, even if a person is tired. He appreciates the beauty of nature and also learns more of its difficulties. During a time of being snowed-in when he is alone, Dan must draw on his own resourcefulness.

A thread running thru this story is Dan’s belief in a God to sustain him. This subject is written so that those of various faiths can relate to it without feeling pressured or excluded..

About the Author

Growing up in California, with a father working in agriculture and the national parks, Joan lived “under the redwoods” in her early years. During school years in Kansas, she enjoyed riding her mare along country roads and hearing meadowlarks sing. Joan has contributed articles to Western Horseman and Country magazines, is a former parent-helper of the 4-H Horse program and was a docent at Sunol Regional Wilderness in California. She is the author of horse books for teens, Echo Valley and Dan; books for young children, Marigold and One Little Heifer. A book of short stories, Smiles, is due out in 2008. The author believes, teach beauty and brotherhood rather than horror and destruction. Joan and her husband, Dave, had two children, Mark and Rebecca. (Becky illustrated Green Eyes.) They now live in Montana near Becky’s ranch; Mark died in 2003.