Pollyanne: One Little Donkey's Amazing Journey from the Knacker's Yard to the West End Stage

by Sarah Oliver

John McLaren has dedicated his life to rescuing mistreated donkeys. When he finds Pollyanne at a livestock auction - unloved and horribly frail - he knows immediately that if he doesn't take her home to the sanctuary he has made his life's work, she stands little chance of surviving. John soon discovers that despite her terrible start in life, Pollyanne has the X she is destined for more than the local nativity play. The bright lights of the West End beckon and before long, Pollyanne is appearing onstage with opera's biggest stars.She may have hit the animal A-list, but Pollyanne's no diva. When the curtain comes down, there's nowhere she'd rather be than at home with John and her four-legged friends. Sarah Oliver's Pollyanne is a heart-warming true story of unconditional love - and a Little Donkey with star quality.

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

I am a celebrity journalist and biographer. I have met Robert Pattinson and most of the Twilight cast - so if you have teenagers that love Twilight, I'm the author you need!

I'm proof that you don't have to be old and boring to be an author.

My first book was Be the Best - an inspirational book for young rugby players. I started coaching a boys' rugby team when I was sixteen, and we became one of the most successful in the country in our age group. Six years later, I decided to write the first book that looks at every stage - from being in a mini team, to trials, and to county level. My book teaches self-confidence and will inspire any child to become a better rugby player.

After dabbling in scriptwriting, I became an editorial assistant and then the editor of an online entertainment magazine. I started writing articles about Robert Pattinson and to date I have written over 700. In May 2010, Robert Pattinson A-Z came out, closely followed by Glee A-Z. In October, I had two books published: Taylor Lautner A-Z and The Wanted A-Z. My fifth celebrity biography, Miley Cyrus A-Z, came out in May 2011.

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about John McLaren, and the donkey sanctuary that he runs.

There was one point in the book that I found very interesting.... McLaren was a horse trader to begin with – buying up horses and ponies in all sorts of conditions around the UK. He would then feed them up and school them into good riding animals…. and sell them on. Sometimes when buying horses he would have to take a donkey or two as well, in order to seal the deal. He would then pass the donkeys on to a donkey sanctuary. One gets the impression this was all just work to McLaren, to get food on the table for him and his family.

Then one day he was asked to take a donkey in appalling condition, and this donkey changed his life. Herewith a long extract from the book, describing his change of heart, from that of animal trader to being a champion of animal welfare. McLaren’s whole life turned around, and he now runs Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary in Oxfordshire. This one donkey was his epiphany.

The owner pointed to the far corner of a sodden field but all I could see was a whole lot of mud and dirt. He pointed again, and this time I saw a tiny flicker of movement in the corner. The donkey was lying down, covered from head to toe in mud. I’d never come across a donkey in such a bad state. He was certainly dying. The owner wasn’t going to help me move it – he didn’t want to get his jacket muddy. I had come across some hard-nosed types in my time, but I couldn’t believe anyone could be so cruel. Five minutes later I was squelching my way back to the lorry with the donkey in my arms and my feet sinking deep into the mud. The poor animal hadn’t protested. As I’d lifted him from the ground that would have certainly been his grave if I’d left him there, he just looked up at me, his eyes locking onto mine, wondering what was happening. He was as light as a feather – there was hardly anything to him. I made him as comfortable as I could in the lorry…. jumped in the cab and drove home as fast as I could, hoping against hope that he would still be alive at the end of the journey.

He was, just about….I took the sad creature into my arms – I could have waited for the vet but I wanted to get him out of the lorry, where he lay caked in mud, straw and sawdust. I just wanted to make him clean and comfy: I wanted to help him live. No animal deserved to be in such a state.

The vet arrived in a matter of minutes. He told me the donkey had pneumonia, worms and mites. He would need a lot of antibiotics if he was going to survive. I just nodded, I didn’t care what it took, or how long, I wanted to see him fit. To this day I don’t really know what it was that touched me about this particular donkey – I had seen plenty of animals in poor health before, although none quite so bad. …

Once the vet had given the donkey a strong dose of antibiotics, we cleaned the emaciated animal as best we could and made him comfortable and warm in the stable. I spent a long, anxious night by his side, praying he would make it through until morning. I couldn’t bear the thought of him dying here, in my care. Thankfully he did survive that night, and the next. Over the coming days with a lot of love, TLC, and plenty of medical attention, he got stronger and stronger.

I didn’t usually name the ponies – I knew they wouldn’t be staying around for long so there didn’t seem much point. But everything changed with my rescue donkey. We bonded so much over the many months it took to get him to good health that I gave him the name Jack.

With Jack, everything was different. There was no way he was going anywhere. And Jack had changed me – I now found I couldn’t ignore the other donkeys I came across through my work…..I cared less and less about buying new ponies to sell on, and started to care more about the welfare of donkeys. I could no longer overlook the fact that it was the donkeys I encountered that seemed to receive the worst treatment.

Watching Jack thrive gave me a feeling of deep accomplishment such as I’d never felt before. I wanted to keep helping these poor creatures and to do something that made a real difference to their lives. Suddenly I didn’t care about making a profit any more: caring for animals was what mattered.

McLaren is very honest and down to earth, and deeply committed to his work. He is definitely one of the good guys. When you look at the role of domestic animals generally in world, donkeys come pretty near the top of the list for maltreatment and abuse. No wonder it’s heart-warming to read about them living happily in this oasis of donkey well-being.

P.S. Pollyanne – the donkey in the title - is the star donkey of the sanctuary. She literally has an agent to book her roles with fairs, TV programmes and even operas. But I wasn't interested in donkey celebrity ;-) Rather I was interested in the general work of the sanctuary.

[Sandy Hallam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about a delightful rescued donkey, Pollyanne, provides some insight into the poor treatment of donkeys in the UK and the efforts of some compassionate individuals who save them from their lives of pain and suffering or from slaughter.

The book is written fairly simplistically and has glossed over some of the mistreatment of the animals, as this is clearly aimed to be a feel good story about John & Pollyanne. This book has helped me to appreciate the efforts of those individuals who set up animal rescues and sanctuaries and how difficult it can be to get by on donations alone. As an animal lover myself, I was so happy to read about the efforts of the Island Farm Sanctuary and about the cheeky donkeys they look after. This book could have done with some more thorough editing, as there were some major spelling errors in the second half of the book, but this has not affected my rating. A recommended read for all who love critters great & small.

[Janet Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the amazing story of a little donkey that John McLaren finds at a livestock auction - unloved and horribly frail. He knows at once that he has to buy her and take her home to his Donkey Sanctuary.
Incredibly she not only learns to trust humans again, but develops star quality - and even appears on stage at the Royal Opera House in London, alongside Placido Domingo!
This is a real heart-warming story, that restores one's faith in human nature. There are still some real special, caring folk out there.
Highly recommended

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was bought for me as a Christmas present a long with the present of adopting Pollyanne for 12 months. I have read the book with joy, the story of the donkey sanctuary is a truly beautiful story.

Pollyanne the donkey is the star of the sanctuary and the story of all her showbiz appearances is truly remarkable.

I highly recommend this book to all animal lovers. It is an amazing read.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very heartwarming story about the selfless work of John McLaren, family & volunteers to care for these beautiful creatures who have been, neglected & abused. Pollyanne is a star and has brought publicity & much needed funding for the care of her & all her donkey friends.

[Sophie Jenkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't amazing... I sadly had to DNF this book because the story wasn't too interesting and I think I was just too old for it. Would, however, recommend to children under 10 who love animals and theatre and don't mind non-fiction. Such a shame I didn't like it and I'm sad I couldn't finish.

[Michelle Wiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the true story of a little donkey who was saved from the slaughter house and went on to bring love and joy to so many people. An absolutely fantastic read and I would highly recommend. I will also be paying a visit to the website.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really heartwarming, engaging story.

It also taught me a great deal about the treatment of donkeys generally, emphasising how important rescue sanctuarys are.

There were a few minor typos and grammatical errors which distracted slightly from the reading. For this reason Pollyanne was a 4*.

Lovely story.

[Eileen Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

very light hearted read if you love animals, enjoyed this book.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good read

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cartea copilăriei 😍

[Emilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An honest, simple story. also shocking as you realise what some donkeys have been through. Very interesting to read.