_Misty of Chincoteague_

[semperfiona]

Three weeks ago I took Rosa to the library. Being somewhat disappointed with the books she tends to select for herself (too easy for her reading level), I went to the children's librarian and asked her for the name of the author of Misty of Chincoteague. Went to the shelves and selected it for Girlie. She took it everywhere with her for a couple of weeks and read it twice.

It had been a favorite of mine when I was her age, but I couldn't really remember what it had been about. I asked Rosa, and got what turns out to be quite a good summary, although her guesses at the pronunciation of "Chincoteague" and "Assateague" were very amusing. But all the same, I decided to reread it myself.

It's a nice story, a bit dated in its gender politics ("just girls' fribble" indeed!) but then it was written in 1947. I hadn't realized (or remembered) that it was based on true incidents, that the people, places, and events were all real.

Comments

I went through a period of reading lots of books about horses once upon a time

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

So, naturally, I read Misty, and liked it. I wonder if Rosa would also like the Black Stallion books, by Walter Farley. I also adored Black Beauty (on my shelves somewhere) and Marguerite Henry's King of the Wind, about the Godolphin Arabian, which I may or may not own. We were entirely too poor to ever think of getting me riding lessons, etc., so I went through the traditional young girl horse phase entirely via library books. Sadly, most horse books are about boys, but I liked them anyway.

Suggestions

[ldyalia.livejournal.com]

I know you didn't necessarilly ask for a suggestion..

But I bought the Animorphs books for my kids, and started reading them myself. It's well written for the pre-teen segment and has some good concepts.

[beckyzoole.livejournal.com]

Oh, horse books! Marguerite Henry was my favorite author one summer; I read every horse book in the library.

The Boxcar children books might be a little below her reading level, but she'll still probably like the stories. I know I did at her age. When I was 8 or 9 also really loved the Mrs Piggle-Wiggle books, the Borrowers books, Beverly Cleary's books about Ramona, and this enormous set of biographies-for-children that my school library had. (I think kids this age really get into stories about real people.)

[wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com]

Oh, I loved that book! Did you read Marguerite Henry's King of the Wind?

Marguerite Henry was my favorite author for some years

[mousefeathers.livejournal.com]

"King of the Wind" was based in history, too. That's all I can dredge up at the moment--did she do "Justin Morgan Had a Horse"? (I know she wrote several, but I can't come up with more titles). Walter Farley's Black Stallion series was also fun. And "My Friend Flicka," who had a son, Thunderhead. There was a third book in that set, too.

Some fine dreaming in those horse books. *smiles*