In "The Small Green Halter" Janet Baker-Carr describes how a donkey participated in the efforts of World Wars I and II while enriching the lives of everyone who loved her. With clarity and humor, the author illuminates the bonds of affection that strengthen and sustain, even-perhaps especially- amidst the ravages of war.

Based on a true story, the book is informed by the author's deep love of animals and draws upon her experiences as a young child in rural England during World War II as well as her memories of travelling in France in 1946. "The Small Green Halter" quietly reveals how war changes everything.

These are true stories, told with insight and understanding, of life on a farm in New Hampshire that became a sanctuary for any donkey who needed a home. Donkeys are thought to be humble and stubborn. They are much more than that: from Jenny who goes up an Elizabethan spiral staircase and does not want to come down, to the concern members of the herd display when one of them is ill. They celebrate the arrival of a foal and respect the authority of the mule that joins them. When she dies, they stand on her grave and bray a sad requiem on and on into the night. Thousands of years of being the beast of burden of the poor has stamped donkeys with a stigma of inferiority, but they have humor, strong wills, and a great deal of affection to give. They are curious and loyal. These are stories about friendship: the donkeys with each other and with the author who established her love for her first donkey when she was very young. After the sad death of that donkey, she vowed to offer sanctuary to any donkey who needed a home. These are stories to read aloud in a family setting or perhaps by a young person who can empathize with and enjoy these often misunderstood gentle creatures.