Marguerite Henry
| Marguerite Henry | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 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 née Breithaupt (April 13, 1902 – November 26, 1997) was an American writer of children's books. Her fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals captivated entire generations. She won the annual Newbery Medal for one of her books about horses and she was a runner-up for two others. One of the latter, Misty of Chincoteague (1947), was the basis for several sequels and for the 1961 movie Misty.
Born to Louis and Anna Breithaupt, the youngest of the five children, Henry was a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Unfortunately, Henry was stricken with rheumatic fever at the age of six, which kept her bedridden until the age of twelve. She was unable to attend school with other children due to her weak condition and the fear of spreading the illness to other people. While confined indoors, she discovered the joy of reading. 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."
Henry sold her first story at the age of 11. A magazine had solicited articles about the four seasons from children, and she was paid $12 (now about $250) for "Hide-and-Seek in Autumn Leaves". 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. On May 5, 1923, she married Sidney Crocker Henry. During their 64 years of marriage they did not have any children, but instead had numerous pets that served as the inspiration for some of Marguerite's stories. They lived in Wayne, Illinois.
In 1945, Henry began a 20-year collaboration with artist Wesley Dennis. "I had just finished writing Justin Morgan Had a Horse," she recalled, "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." Henry and Dennis eventually collaborated on nearly 20 books.
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