She’s sweet with a coat like caramel swirled in vanilla ice cream. Her fluffy forelock shoots upward like a unicorn’s horn. And the little human she happens upon is changed by a dream-come-true moment. Who am I talking about you ask? Well, I’ve got a new pony book trotting into life this summer with a foal that’s been scampering around in my imagination for the past three years. Meet Swirl: My Wild Island Pony, my latest book launching July 1, 2026.
The Swirl: My Wild Island Pony Backstory
In 2023, while launching my memoir Marguerite, Misty and Me during Pony Penning Week on Chincoteague Island, I sat in a lawn chair at the foal auction and was transfixed.
Each foal that came into the pen to be auctioned off to eager pony shoppers was cuter than the previous one. I was NOT there to purchase a foal, but just to drink in the scene from Misty of Chincoteague that I'd known about since I was a girl.
I loved the plain bay foal with the stand-up mane.
Then the flashy chestnut pinto came in, whinnying in the most high-pitched, adorable, yet heartbreaking whinny I'd ever heard, and my heart swelled.
A buckskin colt, followed by a palomino filly, followed by a black pinto, followed by another chestnut… each tiny baby was cuter than the previous one. On that sticky July morning, my internal shopping mind games were wild.
The enthusiasm for the Chincoteague Pony foals reverberated across the carnival grounds. Shoppers and non-shoppers alike cheered at the auctioneer's "SOLD!" cries.
During one chaotic moment, a spunky foal weaseled out from the protective hands of the cowboys wrangling him. He bolted toward the chain-link fence.
"Oh no! Is it going to jump?" I thought. The crowd gasped.
How terrible it would be for it to land on the rows of lawn-chair-seated attendees! I wondered what would happen if he escaped and ran through the carnival grounds and jetted around town.
And that was the seed of a story idea.
I couldn't let go of the "what if" of an adventurous foal taking in the sights and sounds of Chincoteague Island! I had no experience writing a picture book, but desperately wanted to bring a beautiful children's book for horse lovers into the world.
After the auction, while enjoying a sweet ice cream treat with some friends at Island Creamery, I commented I thought a children's picture book with a pony having little adventures around town would be so cute.
Depicting a few Chincoteague destinations, would be a tribute not just to Marguerite Henry and Misty of Chincoteague, but to all the travelers who have fallen in love with the island. My pony picture book could be a feel-good "journey" for children (and adults) who might never take in the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the island.
Over the course of months, while finishing up my young reader version of Marguerite, Misty and Me, and writing Misty's First Christmas, a lanky little filly kept cantering around in my brain. I had to figure out how to open the metaphorical gate and let her out, but I didn't know how to make a picture book happen.
Making My Pony Picture Book
This is a quick rundown of what I had to do to bring Swirl into the world. Who knew writing such a short book would take such a long time? lol
- reading books about writing picture books
- drawing dorky stick figures on printer paper and pasting my text on the pages to see if the story flow worked
- talking to other picture book authors (including my friend Kathy Simmers, who wrote Jump the Moon—I highly recommend)
- attending an online workshop on picture books
- reading a ton of picture books
- reading drafts of the story to elementary age kids
- sending a draft to my hairdresser to share with her horse-loving granddaughter (for feedback)
- joining Facebook groups for aspiring picture book authors
- talking to a children's librarian
- checking out several picture books based on her recommendations.
Meeting the Illustrator on Chincoteague for Pony Penning Week
Finding the right illustrator was paramount. I needed the artist to be an actual horse person (just like Wesley Dennis—he loved foxhunting and playing polo). Nothing is worse than seeing illustrations of horses with weird anatomy, am I right?
A fellow author friend, Sarah Hickner (you might like her memoir Finding Gideon), texted me screenshots of her friend Cameron's watercolor horse portraits. And Cameron lives in Virginia. How serendipitous! Cameron had never been to Chincoteague, although she had always wanted to go see the wild ponies. We chatted on the phone once (while I was in the IKEA parking lot), and decided to meet up on Chincoteague Island for the 100th Pony Swim.
It was a whirlwind week, and Cameron had her camera on hand at all times to capture so many pony moments! And for as beautiful as her artwork is, she is a beautiful human, inside and out. And we could talk about horses for hours. Kindred Spirits.
Who is Swirl: My Wild Island Pony For?
Swirl: My Wild Island Pony is a colorful 32-page picture book geared for an elementary-age audience. Although, I don't want to set a minimum and maximum age limit because I think Swirl would be an excellent parent/child or grandparent/grandchild story time choice.
Each spread bursts with color and emotion, and the word-count is not overly long (if you're a parent you won't be tempted to skip words to get to the next page quicker—lol). The total word count is around 750 words.
Following the story is a page dedicated to Chincoteague Pony fun facts that students will enjoy such as
- the two theories on how the Chincoteague Ponies came to be wild on Assateague Island,
- breed color specifications
- Misty of Chincoteague descendants connection
- a list of pre-vetted websites for further exploration of Chincoteague Ponies
Back to the target age for Swirl… I was at a recent equine media conference and one attendee, I'm guessing in her 40s, looked over my proof copy. She didn't have her glasses on, so she basically followed the story through the illustrations. When she got to the last page, she sniffled and said something to the effect, "You just made me cry." lol
Ideal Swirl Readers:
- pony-loving children and adults
- 4-H and Pony Club kids
- fans of Marguerite Henry and Misty of Chincoteague
- people who want to go to Chincoteague Island to see the pony swim
- K-6 teachers for a classroom library
- homeschool families
- Chincoteague Pony owners and enthusiasts
- anyone who loves beautifully illustrated, heart-warming picture books
- You! 🙂
Recently, after I read a proof copy to third graders, a boy in the back row raised his hand and said, "I want a ball python, but my mom says no."
He then explained that his dad is for the snake, but his mom and sister, who doesn't talk yet, are against the snake. Then he said, "It's a snake war."
"That sounds like a great name for your book," I said. He smiled. I was elated that boy could see himself in my story, despite the fact the main character is a girl and despite the fact that he is not a pony kid! Mission accomplished.
I hope you'll read Swirl and find a little something that resonates with you too! Gallop into adventure with my new story. And when you order direct from my author store, I can sign your copy of Swirl, send you a little thank you and make it more personal.
Thanks for reading and Tally Ho!
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I'm Susan and this is my horse Knight. We have been a blogging team since 2015 and we're glad you're here. Tally ho!
