Marguerite Henry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marguerite Henry
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| Born | Marguerite Breithaupt April 13, 1902 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US |
| Died | November 26, 1997 (aged 95) Rancho Santa Fe, California |
| Pen name | Marguerite Henry |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1940–1997 |
| Genre | Children's books, animal stories, historical novels, pony books |
| Subject | Geography picture books |
| Notable works | |
| Notable awards | Newbery Medal 1949 |
| Spouse | Sidney Crocker Henry |
Marguerite Henry (born Marguerite Breithaupt; April 13, 1902 – November 26, 1997) was an American writer. She wrote 59 books, mostly about horses and other animals. Her stories were often based on true events. She won the Newbery Medal for one of her horse books and was a runner-up for two others. One of her most famous books, Misty of Chincoteague (1947), led to several follow-up books and a movie in 1961 called Misty.
Contents
About Marguerite Henry
Marguerite Henry was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was the youngest of five children. When she was six years old, she became very sick with rheumatic fever. This illness kept her in bed until she was twelve. Because she was weak and to prevent others from getting sick, she could not go to school with other kids.
During this time, she discovered how much she loved reading. She also found her love for writing when her parents gave her a writing desk for Christmas. Marguerite later said that her writing desk became "a world of my very own." She imagined all sorts of creatures living in this writing world.
Marguerite's love for animals started when she was a child. She sold her first story when she was just 11 years old. A magazine asked children to write about the four seasons. She earned $12 (which is like $250 today) for her story called "Hide-and-Seek in Autumn Leaves." She often wrote about many animals, like dogs, cats, birds, foxes, and mules. But most of her stories were about horses.
She went to Milwaukee State Teachers College. On May 5, 1923, she married Sidney Crocker Henry. They were married for 64 years and did not have children. Instead, they had many pets. These pets often inspired Marguerite's stories. They lived in Wayne, Illinois.
In 1945, Marguerite started working with artist Wesley Dennis. This partnership lasted for 20 years. She wanted the best horse artist to illustrate her book Justin Morgan Had a Horse. She found Wesley Dennis's work and sent him her story. Marguerite and Wesley Dennis worked together on almost 20 books.
Her book Misty of Chincoteague came out in 1947 and was an instant hit. It was made into a movie in 1961. Other books, Justin Morgan had a Horse (1972) and Brighty of the Grand Canyon (1967), were also made into films. San Domingo, the Medicine Hat Stallion was made into a TV show in 1977.
Marguerite Henry's last book was Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley. It was published in September 1996, when she was 94 years old. One review called it "Vintage Henry," saying it was a fun story about a girl and a mule.
She passed away on November 26, 1997, at her home in Rancho Santa Fe, California, after having several strokes.
Marguerite Henry's Legacy
Misty of Chincoteague tells the story of the annual Pony Penning event. This is when wild horses from Assateague Island are rounded up, swim across the water, and are then sold. Marguerite Henry was sent to see this event by an editor. She created more Misty books, including Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague (1949) and Stormy, Misty's Foal (1963).
Marguerite Henry's books helped bring many visitors to the Assateague nature preserve and Chincoteague town. The Pony Penning event itself started to attract thousands of visitors each year because of her stories.
Awards and Recognition
Marguerite Henry won the important Newbery Medal in 1949. This award is given by the American Library Association for the best children's book of the year. She won it for her book King of the Wind: the story of the Godolphin Arabian.
She was also a runner-up for the Newbery Medal for Justin Morgan Had a Horse in 1946 and Misty of Chincoteague in 1948.
Other awards she received include:
- The William Allen White Children's Book Award in 1956 for Brighty of the Grand Canyon.
- The Sequoyah Book Award in 1960 for Black Gold.
- The Clara Ingram Judson Award in 1961 for Gaudenzia: Pride of the Palio.
- Misty of Chincoteague was added to the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list in 1961.
- Mustang, Wild Spirit of the West won the 1967 Western Heritage Award and the 1970 Sequoyah Book Award.
Marguerite Henry's Books
Here are some of the books Marguerite Henry wrote:
- Auno and Tauno: a Story of Finland, illustrated by Gladys Rourke Blackwood (1940)
- Dilly Dally Sally, illustrated by Gladys Rourke Blackwood (1940)
- Birds at Home, illustrated by Jacob Bates Abbott (1942)
- Geraldine Belinda, illustrated by Gladys Rourke Blackwood (1942)
- Their First Igloo On Baffin Island, illustrated by Gladys Rourke Blackwood (1943)
- A Boy and a Dog, illustrated by Diana Thorne and Ottilie Foy (1944)
- Justin Morgan Had a Horse, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1945)
- The Little Fellow, illustrated by Diana Thorne (1945)
- Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman, illustrated by Lawrence Dresser (1945)
- Always Reddy, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1947); also called Shamrock Queen
- Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin, by Henry and Wesley Dennis (1947) – about the artist Benjamin West
- Misty of Chincoteague, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1947)
- King of the Wind: the Story of the Godolphin Arabian, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1948)
- Little-or-Nothing from Nottingham, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1949)
- Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1949)
- Born To Trot, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1950) – about the Standardbred horse line
- Album of Horses, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1951)
- Brighty of the Grand Canyon, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1953)
- Justin Morgan Had a Horse (revised), illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1954)
- Wagging Tails: Album of Dogs, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1955)
- Cinnabar, the One O'Clock Fox, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1956)
- Misty, the Wonder Pony, by Misty, Herself, illustrated by Clare McKinley (1956) – a picture book
- Black Gold, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1957) – about the horse Black Gold
- Muley-Ears, Nobody's Dog, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1959)
- Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio, illustrated by Lynd Ward (1960); also called The Wildest Horse Race in the World – about the Palio di Siena horse race
- All About Horses, illustrated with drawings by Wesley Dennis and photos (1962)
- Five O'Clock Charlie, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1962)
- Stormy, Misty's Foal, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1963)
- Portfolio of Horse Paintings, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1964)
- White Stallion of Lipizza, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1964) – about the Vienna Spanish Riding School
- Mustang, Wild Spirit of the West, illustrated by Robert Lougheed (1966) – about Wild Horse Annie and saving American mustangs
- Dear Readers and Riders (1969); also called Dear Marguerite Henry
- Stories from Around the World, edited by Marguerite Henry (1971)
- San Domingo, the Medicine Hat Stallion, illustrated by Robert Lougheed (1972); also called Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion (1977)
- The Little Fellow (revised), illustrated by Rich Rudish (1975)
- A Pictorial Life Story of Misty, drawings by Wesley Dennis (1976)
- One Man's Horse, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (1977)
- The Illustrated Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis, Robert Lougheed, Lynd Ward, Rich Rudish (1980)
- Our First Pony, illustrated by Rich Rudish (1984)
- Misty's Twilight, illustrated by Karen Haus Grandpre (1992)
- Album of Horses: a pop-up book, illustrated by Ezra N. Tucker (1993)
- Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley, illustrated by Bonnie Shields (1996)
- My Misty Diary, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth (1997)
Pictured Geography Series
Marguerite Henry also wrote a series of children's picture books called "Pictured Geography." These books were about different countries and places around the world. Each book was 28 pages long and had illustrations by Kurt Wiese. Marguerite wrote the text for two sets of these books. They were meant to help children learn about geography.
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See also
In Spanish: Marguerite Henry para niños
