This book is awesome. It shows all the potential that mini horses have to be guide animals. It also shines a light on "Ann" and creates an awesome role model for anyone with special needs. With Panda by her side she is completely self sufficient and can travel freely with her by her side. ( )

I stumbled across Rosanna Hansen's Panda: A Guide Horse for Ann at my public library this past weekend, and being intrigued by the idea of miniature horses being used as seeing-eye animals, checked it out on impulse. I'm glad that I did, as I really enjoyed the main "story" - in which Panda and Ann train with one another - and think I learned quite a bit, about the potential that miniature horses hold, as helping animals for blind people. Hansen first takes the reader through some of Ann's activities with Panda, before turning to the story of the very first seeing-eye horse, Cuddles, and her trainers in North Carolina, and concluding with the tale of Panda's purchase and training, in upstate New York. The text is copiously illustrated with color photographs by Neil Soderstrom.

According to The Guide Horse Foundation, miniature horses are a good choice for the blind because they are long-lived, intelligent, have excellent sight, and a calm temperament. This informative picture-book has really convinced me that this is true, and while seeing-eye horses are not yet that common, I imagine that they will become so in the future, as disabled people with allergies to, or phobias of, dogs look for other options. Recommended to young horse lovers looking for something a little different, and to those interested in helping animals. ( )