This book for young readers is wonderfully illustrated on
every page. SURFER DUDE: THE LEGENDARY STALLION OF
CHINCOTEAGUE seems to have been a horse well worth
celebrating. We see his early life on Assateague Island and
how he was marked out as being a good foal to keep to
improve the breed. The exciting life includes annual
roundups by the Chincoteague managers of the wildlife
refuge, from which the extra young ponies are sold. Surfer
Dude, a handsome chestnut with one blue eye, grew strong,
built up a herd of mares and looked after his foals. We see
the natural cycle of life.
I love that as much as anything this book is about the
other wildlife which shares the saltgrass island. Almost
every page has a bird, deer or other animal sharing the
illustration. We see that tourism and pony sales help to
pay to manage the land for all the wildlife, not just
ponies. Look out for shore birds, a squirrel - very hard to
spot! - and two kinds of deer as well as a bald eagle. At
the end the actual facts of Surfer Dude's life are
recounted and all the nature observed is listed so you can
put a name to each one.
Parents and teachers will love this book SURFER DUDE by
Lois K Szymanski to promote reading and nature observation.
Horse lovers will just want it for the beautiful art by
Linda Kantjas. Enjoy! You may also be interested in a
recent work of photography, 'Natural Wonders Of Assateague'
by Mark Hendricks.
Destined for fame, Surfer Dude is known to many who looked
for this colt while crossing the bridge to Assateague Island
and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. The story of
this beloved wild stallion, who cared for his herd of mares
over a lifetime on Chincoteague Island, is beautifully
illustrated in vivid detail, from his distinctive blue eye
to his white star and stripe, silver mane and tail, and
chocolatey chestnut coat. His passing at the ripe age of
twenty-three in the spring of 2015 touched people from
across the United States and beyond. But the spirit of his
gentle nature and the way he loved his foals lives on. His
spirit lingers in breezes that ruffle the island grasses and
in the sunbeams that warm the island ponies, and is
celebrated in this story of love and the circle of life.
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