Le Grand Henderson facts for kids
Le Grand Henderson (born 1901, died 1964) was a talented American writer and artist. He wrote and illustrated many books for young people. He often used the pen name "Le Grand" when publishing his stories.
Contents
Who Was Le Grand?
Le Grand was born in 1901 in a town called Torrington, Connecticut. He loved art and studied it for four years at Yale's School of Fine Arts. After finishing his studies, he moved to New York City.
In New York, Le Grand worked on different projects. He designed parts for heating systems and even switchboards for submarines! He also created window displays for big department stores like Macy's and Bloomingdale's.
An Adventure on the Mississippi
City life eventually became boring for Le Grand. He decided to go on a big adventure. He traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota. From there, he started a year-long journey. He lived on a houseboat and floated down the mighty Mississippi River. His trip ended all the way down at the Gulf of Mexico. This amazing journey later inspired his popular Augustus book series. These books are all about adventures along the Mississippi River.
Le Grand's Wonderful Books
Le Grand wrote more than 30 books between 1937 and 1940. He is famous for two main types of stories.
Folklore Stories for Younger Kids
One type is his folklore series. These are nine books perfect for children aged 4 to 8. Two well-known titles from this series are Cap'n Dow and the Hole in the Doughnut and Cats for Kansas. It is said that the story of "Cap'n Dow" was written while Le Grand was a sailor on a ship off the coast of Maine.
The Augustus Adventure Series
Le Grand also wrote the Augustus series, which includes 12 books. These stories are for children aged 8 to 12. They follow the country-wide adventures of a boy who is a bit like Huck Finn. He explores different places and gets into exciting situations.
Le Grand Henderson passed away in 1964.
List of Works
Here is a list of books written by Le Grand:
- Why Is A Yak?, 1937
- Augustus and the River, 1939
- Glory Horn, 1941
- Augustus Goes South, 1940
- Augustus And The mountains, 1941
- Saturday For Samuel, 1941
- Augustus Helps the Navy, 1942
- Augustus Helps The Marines, 1943
- Augustus Helps the Army, 1943
- Augustus Flies, 1944
- Augustus Drives a Jeep, 1944
- Augustus Saves A Ship, 1945
- Augustus Hits The Road, 1946
- Cap'n Dow and the Hole in the Doughnut, 1946
- Augustus Rides The Border, 1947
- Augustus And The Desert, 1948
- Cats For Kansas, 1948
- Here Come The Perkinses, 1949
- The Puppy Who Chased The Sun, 1950
- The Boy Who Wanted to be a Fish,1951
- When the Mississippi Was Wild, 1952
- Home Is Up River, 1952
- Touch Me Not: A Novel, 1952
- Are Dogs Better Than Cats, 1953
- Tom Benn and Blackbeard, the pirate, 1954
- Why Cowboys Sing in Texas, 1950
- Matilda, 1956
- How Space Rockets Began (Scott, Foresman; Invitations to personal reading program), 1960
- Augustus Rides the Border, 1961
- How Basketball Began, (Scott, Foresman; Invitations to personal reading program), 1962
