A Pony with Her Writer

05/07/2021

Book Review: A Pony with Her Writer (Tails from History)

Millions of pony-mad kids can tell you the story of the famous pony, Misty of Chincoteague; this book tells the story of how the book came to be written, making Misty and her island home famous. In thirty pages, the author, Thea Feldman, tells readers about Marguerite Henry’s special relationship with Misty, formed when Marguerite went to Chincoteague’s famous annual Pony Penning, which supports the island’s fire department, in 1946.  Artist Rachel Sanson’s colorful, child-like illustrations accompany the text in this Level 2 reader.

“Misty of Chincoteague” has been a beloved favorite of kids and horse lovers of all ages since its first printing in 1947. “Misty-mania” seized America, as people fell in love with the little filly with a map of the United States on her side. Enthralled with the story of the wild ponies on the outlying Assateague Island, Marguerite Henry was moved to write this children’s classic. “A Pony with Her Writer” tells the story of how she heard about the beautiful pony and convinced Misty's owners to let Misty come to live with her until she grew up and it was time for her to have foals of her own. Misty came to live with Ms. Henry in Illinois while she wrote the book.  After its publication, Misty was quite a celebrity, attending museums, visiting libraries, even attending a librarian’s conference at which she had to ride an elevator! The author’s simple language tells this beautiful story in such a way as to make it fun for kids to read alone, or to be read aloud.

There are pictures of Misty’s adventures, including her annual birthday parties, and her return home to Chincoteague in 1957. A picture of Misty with her three foals is also included.  The last page lists facts about both Chincoteague ponies and Marguerite Henry, which kids will find fun to memorize. This book is great for animal lovers, for readers who enjoy biographies, and for kids looking for books about famous women.

Parents and grandparents who grew up reading “Misty of Chincoteague” will be thrilled to read this book with their kids, and with a pony as one of the main characters, it’s a perfect tie-in for the CSPL Summer Reading Program. This book would be great to accompany a movie night featuring the movie, “Misty”, which was filmed in Chincoteague and released in 1961, which is still available to purchase on DVD. As always, this Penworthy Prebound Book is designed to circulate and endure; should it fail to meet your quality expectations, we will replace it.  Add this book to your collection today by clicking here.