PBOTD 31st July: Marguerite Henry - Stormy, Misty's Foal

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I love this cover too. For years, I thought Misty was actually called Stormy Misty, although I'd read the actual book more than enough times to know that wasn't the case.


Armada, 1968
This story was based on real-live events. When a hurricane struck in the 1960s, both Chincoteague and Assateague were evacuated. The ponies couldn't all be evacuated, so Grandpa Beebe brought them into the barn on top of their hay pile and put Misty, now in foal, inside the Beebe house and hoped for the
best. The Beebe ponies survived and Misty foaled safely but many of the Assateague herd perished in the storm.

Rand McNally, 1963
Internal illustration from the original
At the annual auction, some of the ponies are tagged as "Buy Backs". They are still put into the auction, but they return to the island to breed. The winning bidder gets to name the pony, and these Buy Back ponies sometimes achieve the highest auction prices. 

If you are a pony-loving American child who can't afford a pony, the Feather Fund helps deserving children buy a pony at the auction. Carollynn Suplee came to Chincoteague every year until her death in 2003 to help children buy ponies, and the Feather Fund was set up in her memory. 

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The Pony Penning and Swim
More on Marguerite Henry
The Feather Fund


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