Misty of Chincoteague

Once again I'm again doing a blog that I don't normally do. This week I'm doing a blog on a book that I didn't enjoy that much. So you might ask yourself why blog about it? The answer is simple. Just because I didn't like this book doesn't mean some of your little ones won't. Especially if they love horses.
Misty of Chincoteague is a book by Marguerite Henry. It was published in 1948 and won a Newbery honor. The story is about two children Paul and Maureen who live with their grandparents in Virginia. Their family raises horses to sell.  More than anything Paul and Maureen want a horse of their own. So they decide to raise money doing extra work, in order to save for the annual horse roundup.
This roundup is done by the local fire company to raise money for their equipment. The horses are feral horses that are the decedents of a group of horses that were being brought to Peru about 300 years ago. The ship they were traveling in was shipwrecked but the horses lived on in freedom on the barrier island between Virginia and Maryland.
Now once a year a round up is held to cull some of the horses and the ones that are culled are sold at auction, and given good homes.
Now comes the reasons why I didn't like the story. First of all, all of the writing is done in local accents, so as you read your way through the book, you find it hard to understand some of the things they are trying to say, particularly the grandfather. I imagine children who read this book might have trouble figuring out what is going on through the dialogue.
The book, which was written in 1948 illustrates a world dominated by men. Although Maureen and Paul work equally hard to save money for the horse, it is Paul who works to train her, ride her and makes all the decisions about her. I realize that in that era that was how life was, but still, I don't have to like it!
But when all is said and done, it is a story about horses, and it captures a tradition that is still going on today, this month in fact.  The story wasn't to my taste, but it might be yours or your children's. If you have a son or a daughter whose a horse lover suggest the book to them. If nothing else they can at least learn about the Chinoteague Pony Swim, that just happened last Wednesday, an amazing way to raise money for a good cause, while preserving a national treasure.