Read Me a Story, Ink logo

A Reading Resource for Kids, Parents, and Teachers

My Friend Flicka

Story Stats

Rating: 5
Grade Level: 3, 4, 5
Page count: 21

Author

Mary
O'Hara

Appeared in

Herds of Thunder, Manes of Gold: A Collection of Horse Stories and Poems.

Story Summary

Against his better judgment, Rob McLaughlin lets his nine year old son, Kenny, choose one of the wildest colts in the heard to be his own. After the colt receives severe wounds trying to escape through a barbed-wire fence, Kenny patiently nurses his colt, Flicka, back to health. But more is healed than just wounds and in the end boy and colt become inseparable. This short story first appeared in Story magazine and was later turned into a full length novel and remains among the very best boy and horse stories ever written.