(person) by junkpile Tue Oct 24 2000 at 1:08:45

Marguerite Henry was born on April 13, 1902, in Milwaukee. When she was seven, she had a serious illness which kept her inside for a long time, unable to go to school. With nothing to do but read, she soon discovered the joy of it. She decided to become a writer so she could mix fact and imagination to make everything in her life come out clear and believable.

The Christmas she was ten, Marguerite's father gave her a tiny writing desk, fully stocked with pencils, office supplies, and all colors of paper. His note read: "Dear Last of the Mohicans: Not a penny for your thoughts, but a tablet. Merry Christmas! Pappa Louis XOX"

This started her writing career, and the next year, i.e. when she was ELEVEN, she sold a story to a woman's magazine. The story was about a collie rolling around in a pile of leaves. They paid her $12.

At age 21 she married Sidney Crocker Henry. Since neither of them had pets as children, they began collecting animals when they moved to Wayne, Illinois. The first was a pony from Chincoteague, the original Misty. Misty became famous nationwide when Marguerite put her in a children's book, later made into a movie. Misty was visited by thousands of schoolchildren. All of Marguerite Henry’s books are based on true stories.

Marguerite wrote about 60 books over her long career. Besides Misty, Justin Morgan Had a Horse and Brighty of the Grand Canyon were also made into films.

She finished her 59th book, Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley, a few weeks before her death on November 26, 1997.


Quotes:

"It's exciting to me,that no matter how much machinery replaces the horse, the work it can do is still measured in horsepower . . . even in this space 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."


Books:

Album of Horses

Black Gold

Born to Trot

Brighty of the Grand Canyon

Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley

A Colt is Born

Five O'Clock Charlie

Justin Morgan Had a Horse

King of the Wind   (1949 Newbery Award)

Misty of Chincoteague

Misty's Twilight

Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West

My Misty Diary

Our First Pony

San Domingo: The Medicine Hat Stallion

Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague

Stormy, Misty's Foal

The White Stallion of Lipizza


thanks to:
http://www.midlandauthors.com/97lit12.htm
http://www.sos.state.il.us/depts/library/programs/kids/ia_henry.html
http://www.mpl.org/files/central/writers/writers.htm
http://www.missmollys-inn.com/
http://www.modelhorses.com/mcf/mhenry.html#mh
www.amazon.com

I like it! 1 C!

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