Pony Island by Candice Ransom

Pony Island by Candice Ransom

It’s here! Pony Swim and Auction Week on Chincoteague Island. Thousands of visitors are expected to descend on the Town to watch the swim, enjoy the beach, browse the shops, eat lots of ice cream and, perhaps, go home with a new pony.

Pony Island, the new book by Candice Ransom, takes the reader on a lyrical trip through the history of the Chincoteague Island pony swim and auction.

Big ship wrecks
Stormy sea
Cargo horses
Swimming free

Churning water
Cannon wade
Struggling horses
Lost, afraid

Empty Island
Room to roam
Birds and beaches
Brand-new home

In amazingly concise text coupled with bold, creative illustrations by Wade Zahares, young readers will learn about the shipwreck that brought the ponies to Assateague Island, the fire that prompted the Chincoteague Fire Department to make the swim and auction an annual fund-raising event and the activities during Pony Swim Week, including the return of the unsold ponies to Assateague Island. Pony Island is the perfect book for young people who may not quite be ready to read Misty of Chincoteague but are ready for a story about the Chincoteague ponies. For more information, click here.

Chincoteague Chronicles

Chincoteague Chronicles (Doggerel Days on the Eastern Shore) by John J.,McDonough, Jr.

July is the month when the world descends on Chincoteague Island for the annual Pony Swim. The population of the Island can swell to 50,000 and vacation memories are made – especially for those who go home with a new pony! Visitors who return to Chincoteague more than once – whether during pony week or at any other time of the year – often comment that it is a special place and holds many memories for them.

Author John McDonough notes in his preface to Chincoteague Chronicles that he has been visiting Chincoteague with his extended family for more than twenty-five years. He says “It has always been interesting to me when in conversation with people to see their reactions to the subject of Chincoteague. Faces would light up right away and smiles would break out.” McDonough has set many of his best memories to verse, accompanied by wonderful illustrations from Island artist Claire Lott, proprietor of Lotts’ Arts and Things on Main Street.

McDonough’s lighthearted poems reflects his love of the Island and its people. We particularly like Passing By the Chincoteague Island Library On an Autumn Night, The Chincoteague Panther and The Mosquito – although The Sea Gull Motel has been a favorite of other long time visitors. There is even an ode to the now-closed Dream roller rink on Rt. 175 that was a landmark for Island visitors. Chincoteague Chronicles is a unique tribute to a special Island. For more information, click here.

The Hidden Galleon by John Amrhein, Jr.

First there was a shipwreck, then a legend, a movie and now a book that finally tells the rest of the story. The Hidden Galleon by John Amrhein provides a possible answer to the question of how the world famous Chincoteague ponies arrived on Assateague Island. Many theories about the origin of the ponies have been part of the local lore. Some say the ponies were pastured on Assateague so that their owners could avoid taxes. In Misty of Chincoteague, Grandpa Beebe tells Maureen and Paul that legend has it that the ponies came from a shipwrecked Spanish ship. No one seemed to know for sure. Until now . . .

For thirty years, John Amrhein has been on a quest to uncover the truth. An interest in diving that started in high school led him down a path he could never have predicted. His research has taken him to the depths of the ocean as well as to historical archives in both Spain and in the U.S. This is a true story that reads more like a historical novel – full of scams, scoundrels and suspense.

The Hidden Galleon provides compelling evidence that ‘La Galga’ is indeed the shipwreck of local Chincoteague legends and lore. Definitely one to add to your Chincoteague collection. For more information, click here.

Once Upon an Island by Kirk Mariner

If you’re visiting Chincoteague Island for the first time this summer, you may be interested in a bit of Island history before or during your trip. Many people associate Chincoteague with the ponies or perhaps with Chincoteague oysters, but there is a lot more under the surface of this Eastern Shore town. Chincoteague celebrated the one hundred year anniversary of its incorporation as a town in 2008 – but its history began long before 1908.

According to local author Kirk Mariner, Chincoteague has been continuously settled for more than three centuries. In Once Upon an Island, Mariner begins with the voyage of Verrazzano in the early 1500’s and Verrazzano’s discovery of Arcadia, an area described as ‘beautiful and full of great forests.’ Many believe that Arcadia lies somewhere on the Delmarva peninsula, most likely near the waters of the Chincoteague Bay. Mariner goes on to describe the Chincoteague Indians (who did not actually inhabit Chincoteague Island), the early Island settlers and the days when farming not seafood was the mainstay of the Island economy.

Once Upon an Island provides facts, anecdotes and photographs that are both informative and entertaining. There are extensive footnotes for those who want to know more, while others will appreciate the short bios of Mariner’s ‘cast of characters’ who played pivotal roles in Island history. One you might not expect to see in the book is Carolyn Keene – who wrote the Nancy Drew and Dana Girls mysteries. You never know you you’ll meet on Chincoteague Island! For more information, click here.