I must confess, I never went through a horse crazy phase and thus never read the classic Misty Of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry as a child. Clearly, I was missing out and of course in an effort to reclaim bits of my lost childhood, I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Misty Of Chincoteague
If you also did not read Misty Of Chincoteague as a kid, chances are that all you know is there is a horse named Misty. BUT YOU GUYS there is more to the plot that that. There are these two kids, right, Paul and Maureen Beebe. They live with their grandparents on a farm in Chincoteague. The two become enamored with this horse, The Phantom and are determined to buy the horse on Pony Penning Day when the horse from Assateague Island are rounded up and sold into captivity.
I’m a bit sad I didn’t read Misty Of Chincoteague as a kid. It’s got this gentleness to it that I would have loved and actually still like. I liked reading about the values of hard work and patience in order to get what you want. The tenacity and can-do attitude of Paul and Maureen was very admirable.
Yet, Misty Of Chincoteague made me a bit melancholy as well. The image of capturing a spirited and free animal makes me a little sad. Isn’t there kind of a beauty to imagining untamed animals like horses running free along the Assateague? However, in the end I thought Marguerite Henry’s book was a lovely read.
Edward Hermann is a strong choice for narrator. He sort of sounds like your grandfather telling you a story from the good old days, which honestly is the PERFECT fit for this book. Plus there is no creepy girl voice falsetto. I’d totally recommend this audiobook to listeners with young children and those making up experiences they missed out on as a kid. Misty Of Chincoteague is produced by Simon And Schuster Audio and is 2 hours and 32 minutes unabridged.
Disclosure: Borrowed from my local library.
Other reviews of Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry:
Reading To Know – “almost makes me want to climb aboard a horse and take a ride for no reason in particular.”
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You’re making me want to reread this book. It was one of my favourites growing up! Thanks for the review, it brought up a lot of great memories.
I definitely wen through the crazy horse phase as a kid. I remember reading this book and many like it. It’s never too late to experience it! lol 🙂
Anita Silvey just wrote about this on her blog, too: http://childrensbookalmanac.com/2011/07/misty-of-chincoteague/?y=2012
I guess they just did Pony Penning a few days ago. Good timing with this review!
I haven’t even thought about this book since I was a kid!! (I think I’m going to start re-reading some of my childhood favorites! I wonder what I’d think about them now as an adult…)
I’m glad you enjoyed this one, I think I need to go snag it so that I make sure I have a copy for my daughter when she’s a bit older! This was definitely one of my childhood favorites!
-Jac @ For Love and Books
I never really went through the horse phase either, though I do remember reading some Riding Club books? Or like…the Pony Club? Something like that…
Anyway, this sounds like a sweet book for younger readers.
I didn’t experience a horse phase either, but I did read Black Beauty. Not this one though. It’s still very popular among those horse-loving little girls.
Oh, I loved these books! Not as much as the Black Stallion series or the Saddle Clubs, but more than Black Beauty. Can you tell I went through a super long horse phase? In fact, it lasted until I went to a university with 300 horses, where 60% of the students (including my roommate) are there for the equestrian program. Where I learned horses are pretty much nothing like they were in fiction, LOL. I still enjoy a good horse book/movie, though, and this one’s a classic.
I’ve never read this book either; Black Beauty and the Saddle Club were the horse books I read when I was younger. It does sound lovely and a bit wistful…
Ah, this was one of my favorite books when I was in like, 4th grade. I read all of Marguerite Henry’s books, and all of Walter Farley’s as well. Now that I am a grown-up I am going to ACTUALLY plan a trip to Chincoteague and Assateague, preferably for the running of the ponies, but you can also camp on Assateague, which would be amazeballs. I already told me husband we’re taking the kids when they’re older.
Uh, MY husband. Because, you know, I’m not a pirate.