shroud's Full Review: Marguerite Henry - Misty of Chincoteague
Ever since I was about 7, I had a mania for horses that lasted in adolescence. This of course translated over into my choice of personal reading material. Having been given a selective set of books to read up until then, I was aghast to discover the utter tripe that many books aimed at my age group contained, and this was even true of horsey stories! Not for me the dumbed down pap passed off mass market. I had read and was still reading quality books written for the young by the likes of Roald Dahl, Frank L Baum, Lois Lenski, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and so on, so what I wanted to read was that sort of quality, but about horses. So I complained to my mother, who as a concerned parent decided to do some digging. She spoke to librarians, teachers, and book store staff, and came across this little gem.
Firstly, I could see this author was the real deal. You can't fool a discerning child easily, and under my brutally honest child's gaze, this more than passed muster. And it is no wonder, for Marguerite Henry first began publishing stories about children and animals at the tender age of 11. her father was a publisher and exposed her to the wonderful world of reading, when, at the age of six, she was struck down by rheumatic fever. Unable to attend school for fear of catching childhood illnesses that would prove fatal to her, she spent her time at home, often convalescing in her bed. Books became her best friends, and one Christmas, she awoke to find a gift from her father . It was a writing desk, placed in her bedroom, with a stack of tablets to write in, with a note saying, "Dear Last of the Mohicans: Not a penny for your thoughts, but a tablet. Merry Christmas! Pappa Louis XXXX." And so it was that she began writing. She had a deep love of animals, especially horses, and her stories focused on these great loves of hers that she could only now dream about.
Misty of Chincoteague is set in a region of the US referred locally to as Delmarva, so called because it is the geographical meeting point for the states of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. It is along the coast, and on the Virginia side there lies a town known as Chincoteague. It is still a small town, boasting only 4,000 odd souls, and is home to the Assateague National Seashore Park, so that the town, the seashore, and Aasateague Island just off its part of the coast, will remain forever in situ and free of further development. The reason for this is the wild ponies you see everywhere. Legend has it that during the 17th century, a Spanish galleon crashed upon the rocks off Assatague Island, and like the cats of the Isle of Man, the ponies swam to shore, and bred. Also, like the Manx cats, they are a recognised distinct and protected breed.
It is against this backdrop that we meet Paul and Maureen Beebe , two youngsters who live on the family farm. They are enthralled with the wild ponies, and dream about taming the wild, elusive mare known only as Phantom, who has always managed to elude penning during the ponies annual swim over the channel to the mainland. No one can capture her, but Paul and Maureen are captivated by her beauty and spirit, and dream of becoming her owner. And so, they begin the begin the adventure of trying to win over Phantom, and her young foal Misty.It is a poignant tale, of the passion of the human soul and the fierce pride of nature as the children attempt to bring the wild soul into captivity, and lessons about love, freedom, and the heart are learned along the way.
Fascinatingly, this is a fictionalised account of a very real family and the very real foal Misty. Their story is masterfully told, and is suitable for readers of ages 7 and up. The vocabulary is simple enough for children to not stumble, and belies the masterfully told tale that the mere words convey. The addition of the pen and ink drawings by Wesley Dennis add dimension and charm, capturing the imagination so that the visual and the verbal become intertwined in such a way that the young reader is left with a rich impression of the world they have just visited. As a peek into the past (the book was written in 1947), it is fascinating, but strangely undated. The tale of child meets animal and falls in love is timeless, and young animal lovers will be enthralled with the action packed sequences featuring the animal heroes of the tale.The concept of the wild indomitable spirit is also as old as time, yet very few can tell it without schmaltz the way Henry has. Highly recommended.
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 shoulder...More at Christianbook.com
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