Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague
by Marguerite Henry
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Book Summary Information
Author: Marguerite HenryBrand: Simon & Schuster
Illustrator: Wesley Dennis
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-05-22
ISBN: 1416927840
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: Aladdin
Book Reviews of Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague
Book Review: "Misty's Grown Bigger Than Our Island..."
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm surprised and delighted that Marguerite Henry's books have recently been put back into print, as despite the surplus of "horsey books" that flood the market, the Misty of Chincoteague books have always been rather special, due to the vivid sense of time and place, the warm family environment, and the focus on the responsibility that the children must assume in order to care for the horses that cross their paths.
The books are set on the islands of Chincoteague and Assateague off the coast of Virginia, and Henry captures the beauty of these islands: the grassy plans, piney forests, sandy shores and clear blue skies - it's enough to make you want to jump on the nearest plane and visit yourself. The wild horses that roam Assateague are the descendants of the horses that survived the wreck of the Spanish galleon off the coast and flourished on the island; these days the horses are famed for the Pony Penning Week in which the inhabitants of Chincoteague drive the horses across the water in order to sell various mares and foals.
In previous books in this series, the children Paul and Maureen Beebe become besotted with the wild mare Phantom, only to turn their attention to her foal Misty when Phantom proves too wild. Since then Misty has reached near-celebrity status, and "Sea Star" opens with a pair of film producers arriving at the Pony Ranch to make an offer on Misty, hoping to include her in the film they're making about the Chincoteague ponies. Needing the money in order to help get their cousin through university, the siblings reluctantly agree. Struggling with their loss, the children's grandparents try to distract them with various tasks about the farm, and it is during an expedition to fetch oysters that the two come across an extraordinary sight.
In Tom's Cove on Assateague Island, Paul and Maureen find a lonely foal with a crooked star on his forehead lingering by the dead body of its mother. Rounding it up themselves, the children dub him "Sea Star" and manage to get him home, where they're confronted with the new challenge of nursing him through his infancy.
The story is neatly divided into two halves: the loss of Misty and the coming of Sea Star. The first half of the story deals with the children trying to cope with the departure of their beloved pony, and despite being the title character, Sea Star doesn't actually turn up until approximately the middle of the book. However, once he does appear, the challenge of taking care of him begins.
One of the best aspects of the story is the warm, loving environment that Mr and Mrs Beebe provide for their grandchildren. I'm not entirely clear where the children's real parents are (it's been a while since I've read the previous books in this series) but the Beebes are a powerful force of good in the world, raising their children to be practical, kind-hearted and well-mannered. As wise as their years, the grandparents often have to make some decisions that seem somewhat cruel at first; such as Grandpa Beebe's steadfast refusal to let the children feed Sea Star with a bottle, recalling a past foal that was ruined by such a method, and eventually coming up with an ingenious way in which to provide the foal with the much-needed milk.
Also worth noting is Henry's grasp of the linguistics of the area, such as: "Now it's gettin' on fer dinnertime and I got to take yer Grandma to the dinin' hall. The ladies is a-waiting," and "Childern, now I know fer sure there's somethin' of the best of me in the both of ye," and "I recomember now!" All of the little quirks in the speech patterns are an essential part of the charm of both the islands and the books. Likewise are Wesley Dennis's lovely illustrations that thankfully have been reproduced for these new editions.
In many respects the stories may be a bit dated, particularly in how Paul is given prominence in the story's main events (Maureen is sent to wash dishes whilst he gets to work with the horses) and there is a rather unpleasant portrayal of a rodeo (I suppose your mileage may vary, but I've never seen much appeal in the sport of bareback riding) but on the whole, the Misty books have retained their warmth, humour and love of horses that made them so popular in the first place.
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