Misty of Chincoteague - Softcover

Marguerite Henry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0395732417 ISBN 13: 9780395732410

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990

Synopsis

Almost all little girls like horses and almost every girl will want to read this book. It contains a lot of information about horses. There is no book or movie that will teach you more about horses than Misty. Little girls love horses and so every little girl should read this book. Misty is one of the most amazing stories you will ever read. It is a real story about real people and a real horse. When they made a movie about this, most of the people played themselves. The horses in the movie were the real horses and the movie was shot on the real place, Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. The Beebe Family is a real family. They live on Chincoteague Island to this day. At the premier of the movie on Chincoteague, the real Misty was led down Main Street and put her front hoof prints in the cement in front of the theater. There is a lot of science involved in this book and movie and a lot of areas for future scientific research. The “Misty” probably has more horses and more information about horses. It had a big advantage. They did not have to pay or feed the horses or their owners or trainers. They got them for free because these are the actual real horses in who live on Assateague Island. Horses are not native in the Americas. Horses are native to Europe and Western Asia. All horses now in the Americas were brought here by Europeans. The theory has been set forth that a cargo of horses was being brought from Europe to the Americas to do work in the mines here. However, the ship carrying the horses was wrecked. When the cargo ship broke apart, the horses escaped and swam ashore to Assateague Island. These horses today are the descendants of the horses who arrived here in this way.

About this title

Review:

On an island off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her--that is, until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and determine that they can't live without her. The frenzied roundup that follows on the next "Pony Penning Day" does indeed bring Phantom into their lives, in a way they never would have suspected. Phantom would forever be a creature of the wild. But her gentle, loyal colt Misty is another story altogether.

Marguerite Henry's Newbery Honor Book has captivated generations of boys and girls both with its thrilling descriptions of true incidents from the tiny island of Chincoteague, and its realistic yet wonderfully magical atmosphere. This story of an animal brought into captivity poignantly reveals the powerful opposing forces of humans and nature. Wesley Dennis's pen-and-ink ponies are masterfully depicted with rippling muscles, shaggy coats, and free spirits. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

From the Publisher:

Nobody could capture the Phantom. She was the wildest mare on Assateague Island. They said she was like the wind, that the white "map" on her shoulders was her mark of freedom.

Paul and Maureen Beebe had their hearts set on owning her. They were itching to buy and tame her; and worked hard to earn the money she would cost. But the roundup men had tried to capture her and for two years she had escaped them....

Pony Penning Day holds a surprise for everyone, for Paul not only brings in the Phantom, but her newborn colt as well. Can Paul and Maureen possibly earn enough to buy them both?

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0395732417
• ISBN 13: 9780395732410
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 196
• Illustrator: Cover Il Wesley Dennis / Steve Brennan