My Chincoteague Pony

Growing up my sister and I loved Misty of Chincoteague. The first place our mother let us go alone by bus (a good five hour bus ride) was to see Pony Penning. So just the title of this book drew me and given the quality of the illustrations I would have purchased it for my young great nieces anyway but once I read the story I knew this book was destined to be a family treasure. It always brings a little tear to my eye. The lesson it imparts is exactly right. Whenever I visit my nieces this book is always out and they beg whoever comes to read it - particularly the 3 year old.

I bought this book for my three horse-loving young sons despite the pink cover, and I was totally unprepared for what a wonderful story this is. The first time I read it to my sons, ages 6, 4 & 2, I cried (and it made me feel better when I read the reviews and saw I was not alone!). My favorite book as a child was Misty of Chincoteague, and like Julie, I also dreamed of one day owning a black & white paint pony from Chincoteague. When I was 12, my parents surprised me with a trip to Chincoteague to see the Pony Penning Day, but it wasn't until I was 38 years old that I bought my first horse, as well as a black & white paint pony for my sons. I will one day bring my sons to Chincoteague, and maybe we will spy a child trying to buy their own pony, and if so, we will remember Julie's story and help that child's dream come true. A must-have for any horse-lover, whether boy or girl. But I do wish the cover was more gender-neutral!

I was researching books by Susan Jeffers because I loved the Swan book and came across this book. The reviews were great so I decided to give it a try. From the authors notes through to the end, it was such a great and touching story. Not even half way through, tears began to run down my cheeks. I tried to not make it noticeable to my little girl, so then I made my voice softer and softer and I read a lot slower because my eyes would not stop tearing. I told my husband to read it to her since he had never read it, and I wanted to see his reaction to it. He said that he had never read such a short touching story that would make a man cry less than half way through! We were both laughing so hard about this we started to cry again. Beautiful art work as well! Highly recommend reading this to any age child, and explain the beauty of it to them if they are younger. I would love to actually see something like that in my lifetime! - Brett's Wife

This is a beautiful picture book with a lovely story and moral. I got it for my daughter for her 7th birthday and she is enchanted with this story of a little girl who works to save money to buy a pony of her own.

Julie has dreamed of owning a pony for years. When she was old enough, Julie started to do extra chores on the family's dairy farm in order to save money for buying a pony at the annual auction in Chincoteague Island. At the auction, she spotted a black and white filly that seemed to call out to Julie. But alas, the filly and all the other ponies were auctioned off to other bidders with more money than her. Julie would have returned home without her dream horse were it not for a stroke of fate that re-opened the bidding and the generosity of the strangers sitting around her. Mixed into the main story are some important lessons in economics about saving money and the use of auctions. Adding to the appeal is an interesting account of Chincoteague Island's annual round-up of wild ponies on neighboring Assateague Island in order to manage the size of the herd and to prevent over-grazing. The eye-catching watercolor paintings and the substantive content will surely draw a readership that goes far beyond horse lovers.