Stormy, Misty's Foal

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Stormy, Misty's Foal (1963) is a young-adult novel by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis, and a sequel to Henry's Misty of Chincoteague. Both novels are based on historical characters, human and equine ^[1], but many of the facts were changed in the stories. Stormy relates the actual "Ash Wednesday Storm" that hit the Eastern Seaboard March 6, 1962, ^[2] ^[3] but three of the main characters (Grandpa Clarence, Grandma Idy, and Paul) were actually dead by 1962 ^[4].

[edit] Plot

Misty is close to foaling and the Beebe family is anxious about it. Unfortunately, a terrible storm system arrives first, setting up over Chincoteague with floods, hurricane winds, ice, and snow. At first reluctant to accept the threat of the storm, then reluctant to leave the island, the inhabitants are in the end forced to accept the devastation that lays waste to chicken farms and pony herds. Most of the novel is about the storm and its aftermath; the title character only arrives toward the end of the novel. The Beebes are immediately concerned with restoration of Chincoteague and Assateague, and Misty and Stormy are to play a key role in this effort.