Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Jessie Haas’ website:

https://www.jessiehaas.com/

Activities & Resources:

Activities:

Horses:

Top 10 Facts about the Connemara Pony

https://www.glorianolanconnemaraponies.com/top-10-facts-about-the-connemara-pony/

About the Connemara Pony (1:35):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=czOzBahi77M&t=54s

A Visual Guide to Understanding Horse Anatomy

https://www.allpony.com/learn/horse-anatomy/

Crafts:

How to make a pool noodle pony (9:57):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=WEp-reaOAzA

Make a paper cup horse puppet.

https://themadhousemummy.com/05/27/paper-cup-horse-puppets/

How to Draw a Horse Step by Step (3:28):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=bv-eCnATs5Q

Games:

Learn about stable vices & bad habits of horses. Play a game to test your knowledge.

https://www.allpony.com/learn/vices-bad-habits/#habitsgame

Learn about horse grooming tools. Play a game to test your knowledge.

https://www.allpony.com/learn/grooming-tools/#tools

Cooking:

No Bake Horse Cookies (:47):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=utsDbAaXGWg

DIY No Molasses Horse Treats (4:58):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=VTgX_9kkl-o

MakerSpace Activities:

Make a paper horse that walks.

https://frugalfun4boys.com/paper-horse-that-walks/

Design an obstacle course for a horse. Use this website for some ideas.

https://www.slohorsenews.net/fun-with-a-horse-trail-obstacle-course/

Equine Science 4 Kids

https://jolly-shirley-3c4b86.netlify.app/

Build Lego galloping horses.

https://frugalfun4boys.com/build-lego-galloping-horses/

DIY: How to Make a Rope Halter

https://diyhorseownership.com/do-it-yourself-how-to-make-a-rope-halter/

Discussion Questions:

What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate to the book’s contents? What other title might you choose?

Describe the relationship between Roland and Princess.

“He does have an eye. For ponies. Lucky for us there’s a lot he doesn’t see.” (p. 4) What do you think Darlene meant by this?

What is Rae’s dream? What obstacle is stopping her from getting her dream?

Describe a dream that you have and the obstacles that are stopping you from fulfilling your dream.

How was Princess different from her mother?

Describe some things that Princess and Rae both have in common.

Why do you think Rae keeps Rusty as her secret?

Gammer often uses the term “spine of steel”. What does it mean?

Describe an example when you or someone else had a “spine of steel”.

Would you read another book by this author? Why or why not?

Which character in the book did you like best? Why?

Which character in the book did you like the least? Why?

Princess liked to be by herself and was a loner. Why do you think she was that way?

Tish said “You need to start where you are, not where you’d like to be.” What does she mean by that?

Do you think it was fate or just sheer coincidence that Rae and Princess ended up together? Support your opinion with details from the book.

Describe a dream of yours that came true. How did you accomplish this dream? What obstacles did you have to overcome?

Discuss some of the things you learned about horses from reading this book.

What was your favorite part of this book? What was your least favorite? Why?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the Reader’s Theater for The Hungry Place.

Watch the book trailer for The Hungry Place embedded at the bottom of the page.

Read Alikes:

Corderoy, Tracey. The pony with no name. Bryony May doesn't want to move house, even if it is to a sweet cottage by the sea. Not when she has to leave everyone behind - her school friends and her four-legged friends at the local riding stables. Then, while exploring the woods near her new home, Bryony meets a beautiful bay pony. The pony is seriously spooked but luckily Bryony is able to calm him down. Afterwards she can't stop thinking about the little pony so when they unexpectedly meet again days later, she knows it's meant to be. That is, until she meets Georgina... Georgina's supposed to be the pony's owner, but she doesn't seem to care a bit about him. She hasn't even given him a name! But for some reason she's determined to keep Bryony away. Will Bryony ever get close to her dream pony? A story of friendship, adventure and the love of a horse. (NoveList Plus)

Hapka, Cathy. Maddie’s Dream. Loving to work with her favorite horse, Cloudy, Maddie learns that the horse's former owners want to buy her back, a situation that compels her to tap the advice of her Pony Post friends to prevent the sale.

Morpurgo, Michael. War horse. Joey the horse recalls his experiences growing up on an English farm, his struggle for survival as a cavalry horse during World War I, and his reunion with his beloved master. (NoveList Plus)

Orenstein, Denise Gosliner. Dirt. When a cruel neighbor decides to sell her curious if out-of-shape Shetland pony for horsemeat, the pony's only friend, a scrawny 11-year-old girl, resorts to desperate measures to save him. (NoveList Plus)

Sewell, Anna. Black Beauty: the autobiography of a horse. Originally published in 1877, this classic story, told from the animal's perspective, captures the struggles and triumphs of this magnificent creature from his early days as a free colt to an owned creature poorly treated by evil men. (NoveList Plus)

Reviews:

Haas, Jessie. The Hungry Place. ​​Astra Young Readers, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers, 2020.

School Library Journal (September 1, 2020)

Gr 3-5-Roland, the proprietor of Highover Farm, has bred some fine Connemara ponies over his long career, but Princess may be the finest yet. Pampered and expertly trained, Princess is a champion pony. That is not the type of pony that Rae, who has dreamed of owning a pony her whole life, wants. In part because she cannot afford a champion pony, but also because Rae wants one who is spunky like Radish-the pony she hopes to ride at the horsemanship camp she has been saving for. Princess and Rae seem worlds apart until circumstances bring them together. When Roland is taken from Highover in an ambulance, Princess is left out in a field with other ponies to fend for herself. Rescued, injured, and starving, Princess finds herself a camp pony paired up with Rae. Despite initial trepidation on both sides, Rae and Princess bond deeply. Could Princess be the pony Rae was meant to have all along? Roland, now recovering from his stroke, trusts that Rae and Princess are right for each other. Deep inside, people are hungry for a place of refuge that will help to make them feel complete; for Rae and Princess that place is filled by their love for each other. VERDICT A sweet story of longing, determination, and healing that will appeal to readers who enjoy tales of friendship and horses.-Jessica Caron, Bancroft Sch., MA © Copyright 2020. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reprinted with permission from School Library Journal ©2021