Le Grand Henderson

Le Grand Henderson (1901 – 1964), most often writing under the "nom de plume" "Le Grand", was a writer and illustrator of books for all ages.

Le Grand was born in 1901 in Torrington, Connecticut. [http://special.lib.umn.edu/findaid/xml/CLRC-1173.xml] He attended the Yale School of Fine Arts for four years. After graduation he headed for New York City. He found work designing heating and ventilating equipment, switchboards for submarines, and window and interior displays for Macy's and Bloomingdale's.

He soon tired of living in the city. He then went to St. Paul, Minnesota where he began a year-long journey on a houseboat down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. The "Augustus" series of books takes place along the Mississippi, based on this trip down the river.

Le Grand is best known for his folklore series (9 books, including Cap'n Dow and the Hole in the Doughnut and "Cats for Kansas") for children 4 - 8, and for his "Augustus" series (12 books) depicting the country-wide adventures of a "Huck Finn"-type lad, for children 8 - 12. [ [http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv69787 Guide to the Le Grand Henderson Papers 1932-1981 ] ] Overall he wrote over 30 books between 1937 and 1940.

He died in 1964.

Works

*Cats for Kansas - 1948
*Matilda -1956
*Tom Benn and Blackbeard, the pirate, 1954
*Why Cowboys sing in Texas – 1954
*Why is a yak? – 1937
*The puppy who chased the sun – 1950
*Saturday for Samuel – 1941
*Home is up river – 1952
*Are dogs better than cats – 1953
*Touch me not: a novel – 1952
*Glory Horn - 1941
*How space rockets began (Scott, Foresman Invitations to personal reading program) - 1960
*Augustus Flies-1944
*Augustus saves a ship – 1945
*Augustus and the desert -1948
*Augustus and the mountains - 1941)
*Augustus Helps the Navy -1942
*Augustus Rides the Border – 1961
*Augustus Drives a Jeep - 1944)
*Augustus goes South - 1940)
*Augustus rides the border - 1947)
*The Boy Who Wanted to be a Fish -1951)
*How basketball began, (Invitations to personal reading program) - 1962)
*When the Mississippi Was Wild - 1952

References