HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Misty of Chincoteague'' is a children's novel written by
Marguerite Henry Marguerite Henry (' Breithaupt; April 13, 1902 – November 26, 1997) was an American writer of children's books, writing fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals. She won the Newbery Medal for ''King of the Wind'', a 19 ...
, illustrated by
Wesley Dennis Wesley Dennis (born April 22, 1963, in Clanton, Alabama) is an American country music artist. A native of Alabama, Dennis previously held a job installing car windshields before he took to singing in bars. In 1995, he signed to Mercury Nashvi ...
, and published by Rand McNally in 1947. Set in the island town of
Chincoteague, Virginia Chincoteague ( or ) is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, U.S. The town includes the whole of Chincoteague Island and an area of adjacent water. The population was 2,941 at the 2010 census. The town is known for the Chincoteague Ponies, althou ...
, the book was inspired by the real-life story of the Beebe family and their efforts to raise a filly born to a wild horse. It was one of the runners-up for the annual
Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...
, now called Newbery Honor Books. The 1961 film '' Misty'' was based on the book.


Plot

''Misty of Chincoteague'' begins with an account of the wreck of a Spanish galleon off the coast of
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
. The ponies in the hold of the galleon swim to
Assateague Island Assateague Island is a long barrier island located off the eastern coast of the Delmarva Peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean. The northern two-thirds of the island is in Maryland while the southern third is in Virginia. The Maryland sectio ...
and become feral as the years and eventually the centuries pass. The book then tells the story of two children, Paul and Maureen Beebe, who live with their grandparents on Chincoteague Island. Paul and Maureen work to earn money to buy a
Chincoteague Pony The Chincoteague pony, also known as the Assateague horse, is a breed of horse that developed and lives in a feral condition on Assateague Island in the states of Virginia and Maryland as one of the many breeds of feral horses in the Unite ...
mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...
named the Phantom, who has escaped the roundup men on Pony Penning Day for the past two years. Paul and Maureen save enough to buy Phantom, and Paul is able to capture her on the roundup because she is slowed down by her new foal, Misty. However, a man from the mainland buys the pair of ponies for his son before Paul and Maureen can give their money to the fire chief. Paul and Maureen are distressed, but they end up being able to buy Phantom and Misty because the original buyer's son won a colt in the yearly raffle and then decided he didn't need another pony, and chose the colt from the raffle. Paul and Maureen eventually break Phantom to ride, and the next year Paul races her on Pony Penning Day. Phantom wins, but the next day becomes distressed when she sees the herd she once belonged to, led by a
stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...
called Pied Piper, being released to swim back to Assateague. Paul releases Phantom, and she gallops to join Pied Piper and the herd as they return to freedom on their ancestral island. Misty remains behind with Paul and Maureen.


Inspiration for novel

''Misty'' was inspired by a real-life Chincoteague Pony of the same name. The actual Misty was foaled in domesticity in 1946, on Chincoteague, at the
Beebe Ranch Beebe Ranch is an American horse ranch and museum located at 3062 Ridge Road, Chincoteague, Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, betw ...
, not in the wild on Assateague Island as told in Henry's novel. As in the book, however, she was in fact sired by a chestnut pinto
stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...
named Pied Piper, from a smokey-black pinto dam called Phantom. Although these horses also were domesticated in real life, they too provided inspiration to Henry for the wild ponies portrayed in the novel. Misty was a palomino
pinto Pinto is a Portuguese, Spanish, Jewish (Sephardic), and Italian surname. It is a high-frequency surname in all Portuguese-speaking countries and is also widely present in Spanish-speaking countries, Italy, India especially in Mangalore, Karnatak ...
, whose coloration and markings included a large patch of white on her side shaped much like the United States. Her hoof prints are impressed in the cement of the sidewalk outside the Roxy Movie Theatre in Chincoteague. After being purchased by Marguerite Henry as a weanling in November 1946, and spending her early life at Henry's
Wayne, Illinois Wayne is a village in DuPage and Kane counties, Illinois, United States. The eastern portion, in DuPage County, is in Wayne Township, while the western portion, in Kane County, is in St. Charles Township. The population was 2,431 at the 2010 c ...
home, she was moved back to the Beebe Ranch in Chincoteague in 1957."History of Misty of Chincoteague", ''Misty's Heaven'' - Misty'sHeaven.com
Retrieved 2015-08-07
A goodbye party with over 300 children and 160 adults in attendance was held by Henry in Wayne for Misty when she left for Chincoteague. Back in Chincoteague, Misty had three foals: Phantom Wings in 1960, Wisp O' Mist in 1961, and Stormy, a chestnut pinto
filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...
with a blaze in the shape of a crescent moon on her forehead, in 1962. As of 2015, there were almost 200 known descendants of Misty. Paul Beebe died in a car accident in 1957 at the age of 21. Grandfather Clarence Beebe died two months after Paul's accident. Grandmother Ida Beebe died in 1960. Maureen Beebe died in 2019, at the age of 81, having become a familiar presence in Chincoteague. Misty died in her sleep at 9:30 AM on October 16, 1972, at the age of 26. She was taxidermied, as was her foal Stormy, who died in 1993. They can be seen at the Museum of Chincoteague Island.http://chincoteaguemuseum.com/ The Misty of Chincoteague Foundation was formed by Marguerite Henry and Rebecca Guisti in 1990, with the two-fold mission of preserving Misty's legacy, and promoting reading by children. Funds were raised to commission a statue of Misty, sculpted by Brian Maughan, to be erected on Chincoteague, which was formally unveiled on July 29, 1997. An identical casting of the Maughan statue was also placed at
Kentucky Horse Park Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm, international equestrian competition venue, and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 (Iron Works Pike) and Interstate 75, at Ex ...
in
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...
.


Marguerite Henry's "Misty" series

* ''Misty of Chincoteague'', illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1947) * ''Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague'', illus. Wesley Dennis (Rand McNally, 1949), sequel novel, * ''Misty, the Wonder Pony, by Misty, Herself'', illus. Clare McKinley (1956), picture book * ''
Stormy, Misty's Foal ''Stormy, Misty's Foal'' is a children's novel written by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis, and published by Rand McNally in 1963. It was a sequel to ''Misty of Chincoteague'' (1947). Both novels are based on historical characters, ...
'' (1963), illus. Wesley Dennis, sequel novel * ''A Pictorial Life Story of Misty'', drawings by Wesley Dennis (Rand McNally, 1976), * ''Misty's Twilight'', illus. Karen Haus Grandpré (Macmillan, 1992) – "Captivated by the story of ''Misty of Chincoteague'', a woman with a horse farm in Florida raises one of Misty's descendants to become a champion show horse", In the second novel, ''Sea Star'', published only two years after the original, Misty is "sold to be shared with children the country over" and the Beebe children rescue a "tiny orphaned colt" after the Pony Penning."Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague"
(starred review). ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
''. No date. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
The third novel, ''Stormy, Misty's Foal'', was published in 1963. It tells of the
Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non-gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
on Chincoteague, and the birth of Misty's last foal, Stormy. Misty and Stormy had made appearances at theaters and schools in the area to help raise funds for replenishment of the herds on Assateague in the aftermath of the 1962 storm. The fourth novel, ''Misty's Twilight'', was published after Henry's 90th birthday, and almost 30 years after the third. ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' observed that it was "billed as fiction but more like a fictionalization concerning one of Misty's descendants". It concluded its contemporary review, "this adult-centered narrative about an affluent doctor—whose troubles with her horse are always addressed by hiring yet another trainer—may be authentic, it will be of interest mostly to those who relish every crumb about Misty's family."Misty's Twilight"
''Kirkus Reviews''. June 15, 1992. Retrieved 2015-02-14.


50th anniversary release

For the 50th anniversary in 1997 of the original novel, only the month before Henry's death, Simon & Schuster released a diary garnished with quotations from ''Misty of Chincoteague'' and new illustrations by Bill Farnsworth (Little Simon, October 1997); .


Misty's legacy in other literature

Several of the real-life Misty's descendants have been featured in books by other authors, in addition to Henry: * ''Windy of Chincoteague'' by Ronald Keiper (1987) — small non-fiction book about Misty's first granddaughter Windy. * ''Pony Promise'' by Lois Szymanski (1996) — fiction, but based on the true story of Windy nursing her half-sister Misty II along with her own foal Cyclone, because of Stormy rejecting Misty II. * ''Nightmist the Miracle Pony'' by Jessie-Ann Friend (2005) — children's book about Misty's great-grandson Nightmist. * ''The Forgotten Pony'' by Jessie Ann-Friend (2007) — children's book about Misty's great-grandson, Rainy's Boy. A series of children's books by Misty family pony-breeder Kendy Allen debuted in 2006. The series includes: * ''Misty's Heart of the Storm'' * ''Misty's Black Mist and the Christmas Parade'' * ''A Chincoteague Pony Named Misty III'' * ''Ember's Story, The Misty Miracle Pony''


References


External links


Chincoteague Homepage





Misty's Heaven



More on the Beebe Family and the legendary Spanish galleon

The Misty of Chincoteague Foundation preserves the legacy of Marguerite Henry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Misty Of Chincoteague 1947 American novels Newbery Honor-winning works Novels by Marguerite Henry Novels set in Virginia Ponies 1946 animal births 1972 animal deaths Chincoteague, Virginia Novels set on islands Novels about horses Children's novels about animals American novels adapted into films American children's novels 1947 children's books