08/15/2023
One of the lesser known Misty books is titled "Misty the Wonder Pony". It's a small picture book for young children published in 1956. A second edition was published in 1961; likely because the Misty movie came out that year. It's fairly easy to find a copy as there's usually one to be found on eBay or Amazon.
The two editions have two different covers, both pictured here. Misty on a stool is from 1956 and the yellow one is from 1961. There's also some merchandise that was produced for the book. But that deserves its own post.
The story is an interesting mix of the fictionalized story of Misty being born on Assateague and saved at the swim. And the story of the real Misty being bought by Marguerite Henry and living in Wayne, Illinois. The story is told by Misty herself in first person (or first pony?). No other author is listed but Marguerite Henry ghost wrote for Misty.
It was illustrated by Clare McKinley and has really lovely and adorable illustrations. Several inspired by real photos. Wesley Dennis drew from real life inspiration so it's cool to see that McKinley continued that even though it's a very different style.
It's a great addition to any Misty library!
