By SCOTT POWELLLedger Staff Writer

Limestone-Central Elementary School third graders Maddie Teague and Elyse Little cautiously pet a pony Monday under the watchful eyes of owners Susan and Danny Parker.

Limestone-Central Elementary School student teacher Susan Parker brought the story of "Leah's Little Pony" to life for students Monday with a visit from one of Parker's horses.

Parker's husband, Danny, brought a month-old colt to the school so students could get a close-up view of a pony like the one featured in "Leah's Little Pony" by Elizabeth Friedrich. The students also witnessed the power of maternal instinct as the pony's mother kicked up a storm inside the horse trailer, anxiously fretting over the safety of her child around the students.

Parker was able to accomplish her goal of letting students spend time around a horse.

"We are getting ready to read 'Leah's Little Pony.' The story is about a little girl who sells her pony to raise money to help her father keep the farm," said Parker, who is finishing her student teaching in Carol Moss' third grade class. "I wanted students to have a real-life experience. I had my husband bring one of our horses from home so students could see it."

"Leah's Little Pony" will assist the students in learning to recognize different literary genres on the state's Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test. The story also ties in with social studies due to the story's setting in the time of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl.

Thousands of farming families settled in the Southern Plains lured by the rich soil in states such as Kansas. In the summer of 1931, an 8-year drought began which led to the region being renamed "The Dust Bowl."