I don’t know about you, but my copy of Misty of Chincoteague was much loved: wrinkled and dog-eared from countless readings from about age 6 through 16. And I had the companion books– Stormy Misty’s Foal, Sea Star, and Misty’s Twilight. I was an avid Marguerite Henry fan, and perhaps my favorite grade-school memory is studying King of the Wind in 5th grade (of course, I’d already had it memorized in the 2nd grade…and the teacher was met with a very stubborn child when she tried to insist that Agba, the stableboy, was the main character in the book, not Sham, the golden bay Godolphin Arabian).
For all the many horsey things I can cross off my bucket list (been to the Derby, the Oaks, etc), I haven’t yet experienced Pony Penning Day and the famous Swim from Assateague to Chincoteague Island. I’ve heard that it isn’t quite as romantic as the book portrayed…and perhaps it’s best just to live with the book’s description (and avoid seeing Stuffed Misty, which I hear is horrifying). But here’s a good video showing the ponies reaching the shore and parading down the street. Long live Misty and childhood dreams.
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