1: Wonderful historical fiction for young people......!!!!
My seven year old daughter and I finished this book last night. She was very sad to have it end. What a wonderful account of the devastating storm that hit the islands of Assateague and Chincoteague and the relief efforts to rebuild the islands and the devastated wild pony population.It was very heartwarming to read in the epilogue excerpts from actual letters of children that sent in their hard earned money to buy back the ponies sold at previous Pony Penning Days to replenish the wild herds of Assateugue. These children and others like them preserved a tradition that had been maintained for over 100 years and because of them continues on today. In fact, Marguerite Henry dedicated this book to those very children that made it all possible. Marguerite Henry does an excellent job of using local dialect in the telling of the story, especially with Grandpa and Grandma. You can not help but become involved in the characters and their concerns become very real to you. I read this book many many years ago and had forgotten a great deal of the story. One of the things I did remember was Misty being put in Grandma's kitchen to wait out the storm. If you are like me and read this book many years ago I encourage to reread it. You will be glad you did.
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