Marguerite Henry

Author profile

born

April 13, 1902 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The United States

died

November 26, 1997

gender

female

genre

Children's Books, Outdoors & Nature

About this author

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Marguerite Henry (April 13, 1902-November 26, 1997) was an American writer. The author of fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals, her work has captivated entire generations of children and young adults and won several Newbery Awards and Honors. Among the more famous of her works was Misty of Chincoteague, which was the basis for the 1961 movie Misty, and several sequel books.

"It is exciting to me that no matter how much machinery replaces the horse, the work it can do is still measured in horsepower ... even in the new age. And although a riding horse often weighs half a ton and a big drafter a full ton, either can be led about by a piece of string if he has been wisely trained. This to me is a constant source of...more Marguerite Henry (April 13, 1902-November 26, 1997) was an American writer. The author of fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals, her work has captivated entire generations of children and young adults and won several Newbery Awards and Honors. Among the more famous of her works was Misty of Chincoteague, which was the basis for the 1961 movie Misty, and several sequel books.

"It is exciting to me that no matter how much machinery replaces the horse, the work it can do is still measured in horsepower ... even in the new age. And although a riding horse often weighs half a ton and a big drafter a full ton, either can be led about by a piece of string if he has been wisely trained. This to me is a constant source of wonder and challenge." This quote was from an article about Henry published in the Washington Post on November 28, 1997, in response to a query about her drive to write about horses.

Marguerite Henry inspired children all over the world with her love of animals, especially horses. Author of over fifty children's stories, including the Misty of Chincoteague series, Henry's love of animals started during her childhood. Unfortunately, Henry was stricken with a rheumatic fever at the age of six, which kept her bedridden until the age of twelve. Born to Louis and Anna Breithaupt, the youngest of the five children, Henry was a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Because of her illness, Henry wasn't allowed to go to school with other children because of her weak state and the fear of spreading the illness to others. While she was confined indoors, she discovered the joy of reading. Soon afterwards, she also discovered a love for writing when her father, a publisher, presented her with a writing desk for Christmas. On the top of stacks of colored paper her father wrote, “Dear Last of the Mohicans: Not a penny for your thoughts, but a tablet. Merry Christmas! Pappa Louis XXXX.”

Henry's first published work came at the age of eleven, a short story about a collie and a group of children, which she sold to a magazine for $12. Henry always wrote about animals, such as dogs, cats, birds, foxes, and even mules, but chiefly her stories focused on horses.

In 1923, she married Sidney Crocker Henry. During their sixty-four years of marriage they didn't have children, but instead had many pets that inspired some of Marguerite’s stories. They lived in Wayne, Illinois.

In 1947, she published Misty of Chincoteague and it was an instant success. Later, this book—as well as Justin Morgan had a Horse and Brighty of the Grand Canyon—were made into movies.

She finished her last book, Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley, just before her death on November 26, 1997 at the age of 95.(less)

combine editions
Books by Marguerite Henry

Average rating: 3.99 · 37,613 ratings · 1,090 reviews · 57 distinct works

	Misty of Chincoteague 3.98 avg rating — 11,703 ratings — published 1947 — 39 editions	My rating:
	King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian by Marguerite Henry, Wesley Dennis (Illustrations) 4.13 avg rating — 6,483 ratings — published 1948 — 33 editions	My rating:
	Stormy, Misty's Foal 3.98 avg rating — 5,727 ratings — published 1963 — 19 editions	My rating:
	Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry, Wesley Dennis (Illustrator) 3.89 avg rating — 2,117 ratings — published 1945 — 24 editions	My rating:
	Brighty Of The Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry, Wesley Dennis (Illustrator) 3.91 avg rating — 2,114 ratings — published 1953 — 16 editions	My rating:
	Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry, Wesley Dennis (Illustrator) 3.83 avg rating — 1,739 ratings — published 1920 — 15 editions	My rating:
	Black Gold 4.00 avg rating — 1,451 ratings — published 1957 — 10 editions	My rating:
	Born to Trot by Marguerite Henry, Wesley Dennis 3.87 avg rating — 1,026 ratings — 10 editions	My rating:
	Misty's Twilight by Marguerite Henry, Karen Haus Grandpre (Illustrator) 3.77 avg rating — 941 ratings — 10 editions	My rating:
	Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West by Marguerite Henry, Robert Lougheed (Illustrations) 3.96 avg rating — 825 ratings — published 1966 — 10 editions	My rating:

More books by Marguerite Henry…

Series by Marguerite Henry

Misty (4 books)
by Marguerite Henry, Karen Haus Grandpre (Illustrator)

3.96 avg rating — 20,105 ratings

Polls

Please vote for your preferred YA Historical novel for September's category 2.

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7 votes, 6.5%

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5 votes, 4.6%

King of the Wind The Story of the Godolphin Arabian by Marguerite Henry

4 votes, 3.7%

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3 votes, 2.8%

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2 votes, 1.9%

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1 vote, 0.9%

108 total votes

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The Next Best Boo...: Crappy Books For Kids & Ideas	29	255	Jun 19, 2009 12:00pm
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