Misty of Chincoteague

Henry, M. (1947). Misty of Chincoteague. New York, New York: Aladdin paperbacks.

Brief Annotation: Paul and Maureen are brother and sister and they live next to an island of wild horses. They want to capture one horse in particular that has never been captured before. They get their wish and capture Phantom and her colt. Paul and Maureen train Phantom so she can win a race at Pony Penning Day and once she does, Phantom only wants to be in the wild again. As a result, Phantom runs away into the wild, leaving her colt who loves to be around people, with Paul and Maureen.

Genre: Realistic Animal Story

Grade Level: 4-6

Readers who will like this: Animal lovers who enjoy a good story about wild animals becoming part of a human family.

Response/Rating (1-4): ** This wasn’t one of my favorite books to read, but it did have some good aspects. The plot was interesting and there was humor incorporated. The bond between animal and human was strong and I did like to see that relationship develop and grow.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Have you ever had an animal that you loved so much that you treated like family?