The very first donkey was thought to be the Syrian Wild Ass, whose descendants were described in both the Bible and in historical and literary accounts. In the Christmas story Mary rode a little donkey led by Joseph. In 16th century Spain the famous writer Cervantes wrote about Don Quixote and his sidekick, Sancho Panza, who rode a small donkey. Even George Washington used donkeys to produce mules for riding and for farm work. Some of us have come to know donkeys because of a children's novel called "Brighty of the Grand Canyon," based on the true story of a little gray donkey named Bright Angel, who wandered the North and South Rims of Arizona's Grand Canyon in the early 1900s.