- Marguerite Henry
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Marguerite Henry Born Marguerite Breithaupt
April 13, 1902
Milwaukee, WisconsinDied November 26, 1997 (aged 95)
San Diego, CaliforniaOccupation Author Notable work(s) Misty of Chincoteague Spouse(s) Sidney Crocker Henry Marguerite Henry (April 13, 1902-November 26, 1997)[1] was an American writer. Henry inspired children all over the world with her love of animals, especially horses. 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.
Contents
Biography
Born to Louis and Anna Breithaupt, the youngest of the five children, Henry was a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[1][2] Unfortunately, Henry was stricken with rheumatic fever at the age of six, which kept her bedridden until the age of twelve. 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.[citation needed] Henry's love of animals started during her childhood. Soon afterwards, she also discovered a love for writing when her parents presented her with a writing desk for Christmas. Henry later said, "At last I had a world of my very own -- a writing world, and soon it would be populated by all the creatures of my imagination." [3]
Henry sold her first story at the age of 11.[1] She often wrote about animals, such as dogs, cats, birds, foxes, and even mules, but chiefly her stories focused on horses.
She studied at Milwaukee State Teachers College.[4] On May 5, 1923, she married Sidney Crocker Henry.[1] 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 1945, Henry began a twenty-year collaboration with artist Wesley Dennis. She recalled " I had just finished writing Justin Morgan Had a Horse, and wanted the best horse artist in the world to illustrate it. So I went to the library, studied the horse books, and immediately fell in love with the work of Will James and Wesley Dennis. When I found out that Will James was dead, I sent my manuscript to Wesley Dennis." [5] Henry and Dennis eventually published 15 books together.[6]
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.
Awards
Henry received the Newbery Honor for two of her books, Justin Morgan Had a Horse in 1945 and for Misty of Chincoteague, in 1948. She received the Newbery Medal in 1949 for King of the Wind.[7] Brighty of the Grand Canyon was given the William Allen White Children's Book Award in 1956.[8] In 1960, Black Gold won the Sequoyah Book Award.[9] Gaudenzia: Pride of the Palio was awarded the Clara Ingram Judson Award for children's literature in 1961.[10] Misty of Chincoteague won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1961.
Works
- 1940 Auno and Tauno: A Story of Finland
- 1940 Dilly Dally Sally (illustrated by Gladys Rourke Blackwood)
- 1942 Birds at Home
- 1942 Geraldine Belinda
- 1943 Their First Igloo On Baffin Island
- 1944 A Boy and a Dog
- 1945 Justin Morgan Had a Horse (illustrated by Wesley Dennis)
- 1945 The Little Fellow
- 1945 Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman
- 1947 Always Reddy (also published as Shamrock Queen)
- 1947 Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin (illustrated by Wesley Dennis)
- 1947 Misty of Chincoteague
- 1948 King of the Wind (illustrated by Wesley Dennis)
- 1949 Little-or-Nothing from Nottingham
- 1949 Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague (illustrated by Wesley Dennis)
- 1950 Born To Trot (illustrated by Wesley Dennis)
- 1951 Album of Horses (illustrated by Wesley Dennis)
- 1953 Brighty of the Grand Canyon (illustrated by Wesley Dennis)
- 1955 Wagging Tails: Album of Dogs
- 1956 Cinnabar, the One O'Clock Fox (illustrated by Wesley Dennis)
- 1956 Misty, the Wonder Pony, by Misty, Herself
- 1957 Black Gold (illustrated by Wesley Dennis)
- 1959 Muley-Ears, Nobody's Dog (illustrated by Wesley Dennis)
- 1960 Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio (also published as The Wildest Horse Race in the World) (illustrated by Lynd Ward)
- 1962 All About Horses
- 1962 Five O'Clock Charlie (illustrated by Wesley Dennis)
- 1963 Stormy, Misty's Foal (illustrated by Wesley Dennis)
- 1964 Portfolio of Horse Paintings
- 1964 White Stallion of Lipizza
- 1966 Mustang, Wild Spirit of the West (illustrated by Robert Lougheed)
- 1969 Dear Readers and Riders (Also published as Dear Marguerite Henry)
- 1971 Stories from Around the World
- 1972 San Domingo, The Medicine Hat Stallion (also published as Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion) (illustrated by Robert Lougheed)
- 1976 A Pictorial Life Story of Misty
- 1977 One Man's Horse
- 1980 The Illustrated Marguerite Henry
- 1984 Our First Pony
- 1989 Herds of Thunder, Manes of Gold (contribution)
- 1992 Misty's Twilight (illustrated by Karen Haus Grandpre)
- 1993 Album of Horses: A Pop-Up Book
- 1996 Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley (illustrated by Bonnie Shields)
- My Misty Diary
Pictured Geography Series
- 1941 Alaska in Story and Pictures
- 1941 Canada in Story and Pictures
- 1941 Mexico in Story and Pictures
- 1941 West Indies in Story and Pictures
- 1943 Argentina in Story and Pictures
- 1943 Brazil in Story and Pictures
- 1943 Chile in Story and Pictures
- 1943 Panama in Story and Pictures
- 1946 Australia in Story and Pictures
- 1946 Bermuda in Story and Pictures
- 1946 British Honduras in Story and Pictures
- 1946 Dominican Republic in Story and Pictures
- 1946 Hawaii in Story and Pictures (illustrated by Kurt Weise)
- 1946 New Zealand in Story and Pictures
- 1946 Virgin Islands in Story and Pictures
Movies
- Misty (1961) at the Internet Movie Database
- Brighty of the Grand Canyon (1967) at the Internet Movie Database
- Justin Morgan Had a Horse (1972) at the Internet Movie Database
- Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion (1977) at the Internet Movie Database
- King of the Wind (1990) at the Internet Movie Database
References
- ^ a b c d "Marguerite Henry." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004.
- ^ Marguerite Henry, 95, Author Of the 'Chincoteague' Series
- ^ Marguerite Henry, Dear Readers and Riders, New York: Rand McNally & Company, 1969,p.200
- ^ Newbery Medal Books: 1922-1955, eds. Bertha Mahony Miller, Elinor Whitney Field, Horn Book, 1955, LOC 55-13968, p.322
- ^ Marguerite Henry, Dear Readers and Riders, New York: Rand McNally & Company, 1969,p.207
- ^ Inspired Animation: The Art of Wesley Dennis
- ^ Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present
- ^ William Allen White Children's Book Award Past Winners
- ^ Children's Sequoyah Winners
- ^ The Society of Midland Authors
Bibliography
- Collins, David R. (1999) Write a book for me: The story of Marguerite Henry, Morgan Reynolds, Inc. 112 pp.
- "Marguerite Henry 1902-1997." Publisher's Weekly 15 December. 1997:27.
- Mooar, Brian. "Marguerite Henry Wrote 'Misty of Chincoteague'." Washington Post thirty eight Nov. 1997, national ed.:106.
- "Chincoteague Island Homepage" http://www.chincoteague.com/ Accessed 3 May 2001.
- "Titles by Marguerite Henry" http://www154.pair.com/redgroup/MargueriteHenry.html Accessed 26 May 2001.
Categories:- 1902 births
- 1997 deaths
- Newbery Medal winners
- Newbery Honor winners
- American children's writers
- American child writers
- People from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni
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