Marvelous Marguerite Henry
This edition of the Paperback Rider is all about Marguerite Henry!
Descriptive Writing, Illustrations Make “Misty of Chincoteague” Charming
Like many horse lovers, I was familiar with Misty of Chincoteague. I’d read the book, but not since I was a young teen, probably. Growing up, I was more a“Black Stallion” fan and didn’t recall Misty’s story well when I started my re-read. There was much I’d forgotten and it’s easy to see why “Misty” is classic!
Henry’s descriptive writing brings the story to life from page one. Everything starts with a herd of ponies at sea during a storm – following a shipwreck, they swim to the shores of Chincoteague Island, where they not only survive, but thrive. From there, readers meet siblings Paul and Maureen Beebe, two children who want a pony of their own. Sure, their grandparents round up ponies to train and sell, but it’s not the same as having their own pony.
Enter the annual pony round-up. But, do you think Paul and Maureen want any pony? No. They want none other than the Phantom, a legendary mare believed impossible to tame. Of course, despite the odds, despite Paul being the youngest rider in the pony round-up, despite it being his first time participating in the round-up, despite the Phantom’s notoriety, the Beebes are successful. The Phantom is theirs and she has a foal by her side, who they name Misty! Over the following year, they train The Phantom for the pony races held at the round-up. After the big race, Paul and Maureen conclude The Phantom is happier in the wild and release her to the island now that Misty is weaned and nearly two years old.
“Misty of Chincoteague” holds up remarkably well almost 80 years after it was first published and it’s worth introducing to a horse-crazy kid in your life. For me, I think one of the best parts of re-reading it as an adult was really noticing the beautiful illustrations in the book – they were a treat to see on the page.
“King of the Wind” Is An Underrated Classic
“Misty of Chincoteague” might be the most famous of Marguerite Henry’s works but “King of the Wind” feels like an underrated classic! I didn’t read this until I was an adult but have had my copy around, handed down from a family member, since I was a kid and never quite got around to it.
“King of the Wind,” to me, is a more satisfying, compelling story than “Misty.” The cover art, another Wesley Dennis illustration, is gorgeous and the opening scenes depict a match race between Man O’ War and Sir Barton. You might be wondering what connection there could be between an Arabian stallion in the 1700s called Sham and two legendary racehorses of the 1920s – Sham turns out to be none other than the Godolphin Arabian. The tale Henry weaves in King of the Wind is reminiscent of Black Beauty – Sham, his groom, Agba, and Grimalkin, a cat who eventually joins them on this long journey, overcome abuse and neglect.
Sham’s role in the story begins when Agba, an enslaved young boy in Morocco who works in the Sultan’s stable, is charged with caring for young Sham after his dam dies – Agba had been caring for Sham and his dam and proves to be the one person who can handle Sham. The colt has a white spot on one hind leg and a whorl described as looking like an ear of wheat on his chest. One marking is a sign of good fortune, the other, of bad fortune. One day, the Sultan decides to send King Louis the XV, of France, six of his finest Arabian horses. One of the six is Sham. King Louis the XV ultimately doesn’t want the Arabians, considering them too small and fine-boned – this becomes a recurring theme throughout the book, before Sham ultimately proves himself as a sire towards the end.
This tale has the usual horse story tropes, a magical horse-human bond, and a rags-to-riches type story. But it’s still enjoyable! That said – I’m not sure how much of Henry’s story is fact and how much is fiction; she blends them, using names and race records of the actual Godolphin Arabian’s foals towards the end. I’m also concerned about how well Henry’s portrayals of other cultures, or Agba being non-speaking, hold up – there’s nothing that made me cringe or think “that’s overtly racist” but the book does seem like a product of its time in a way I can’t fully explain. It also seems a little White Savior-y in places, with Agba and Sham being saved from a bad situation by a kind English Quaker. “King of the Wind” was published in 1968 and that should be kept in mind when reading it – and is also why I’m not sure how to recommend this. If you’re a Marguerite Henry fan who has never read it, you absolutely should but I’m not sure if it’s still something I’d suggest reading to/with a horse-crazy kid in your life, at least not without also ensuring they have more modern, culturally diverse horse books, too. Don’t get me wrong, I loved reading this, but I’m uncertain how well this stands the test of time on diversity and portrayals of foreign cultures.
Learning More About Marguerite, Reviewing: “Marguerite, Misty & Me”
“Marguerite, Misty & Me” is an enjoyable book blending biography and memoir. I was sent a copy of “Marguerite, Misty & Me” by author Susan Friedland earlier this year.
This is a fascinating look at Henry’s life – there was much I didn’t know. I’ve read Misty of Chincoteague but hadn’t considered the life of the woman behind the book.
Henry’s writing career began in journalism, writing features for magazines – something I appreciated as a journalist, myself. Henry needed extra money as a young newlywed – she’d bought five tables because she got five lamps as a wedding present and didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by not using the lamps. She needed to pay for the tables, so she walked into a magazine publishing office and requested an assignment, offering to write a single article, telling the editor if the article wasn’t good enough, he didn’t have to pay her. She was dispatched to cover a dedication for a Chicago skyscraper, didn’t get enough notes from the speech, so approached the speaker afterwards and got a copy of the speech. Henry’s career blossomed from there, moving into ghostwriting as well as books.
Following the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962, which devastated Chincoteague and Assateague islands, Henry cleared her schedule, explaining to fans that Chincoteaguers were dependent on ponies to draw tourists, encouraging them to donate to the Misty Disaster Fund. 20th Century Fox, the studio behind the film Misty, offered the movie to theaters nationwide for benefit showings with proceeds going to buy back ponies that were sold on previous penning days to re-establish the herds on Chincoteague. The fundraising plans worked and there are approximately 150 ponies thriving on Assateague Island today.
Another point I found striking was how Henry connected with her fans and the extent of unpublished works and ideas that didn’t become books. I enjoyed reading about Henry and her life! However, this book transcends Marguerite Henry – learning about her fans who still follow and love Chincoteague ponies was also interesting, particularly those who manage social media pages and track pedigrees of the ponies including the real Misty’s descendants.
The book’s weakest points, for me, were the “me” portions about Friedland; purely because I’m not generally a fan of people putting themselves in a story. However, after speaking to Friedland later and learning why she included what she did, I gained a new appreciation for it! Speaking to her, her respect and love for Henry’s work shone through and my perspective changed. For me, the most fascinating “me” segments by Friedland were where she discussed the research process or where she went to Chincoteague to watch the pony round-up. This is a fascinating book but does have some slower moments – if you think you’d enjoy it, you can buy a copy here: https://saddleseekshorse.shop/products/marguerite-henry-biography-horse-book
Behind The Scenes: Author Q & A with Susan Friedland
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Recently, I chatted with Susan Friedland, author of “Marguerite, Misty & Me.” We discussed why she chose to highlight Henry and the fascinating things she learned on her biographer journey.
Question: What was your driving force in wanting to write this book, why Henry, specifically?
Friedland: I had a natural connection to Marguerite Henry because the area where I was raised and learned to ride was the Village of Wayne [Illinois, where Henry had also lived]. I was a history teacher and have a strong belief in oral history. I felt I needed to act quickly to write Henry’s story, because I thought I could find people in Wayne, or who’d grown up there, who remembered Marguerite. She died in the mid-1990s, so I couldn’t talk to her but I could find out through people who knew her what she was like. I could do the archival research and read her papers, but being able to sit across a table from someone who spent time with her was different and another way to shed light on who she was.
Question: Why did you write Marguerite, Misty & Me as a blend of memoir and biography?
Friedland: Initially, I wanted to write a straight biography because I revere Marguerite so much. I respect her work and she’s worthy of it. I shied away from including my story because I Didn’t want people thinking, “Susan’s comparing herself to Marguerite,” because we’re two totally different caliber of writers. But, as a long-time blogger, I’m more comfortable writing in first person. When I write, I try writing like I’m talking to a friend. So, initially I tried writing “Marguerite, Misty, & Me” biographically, as the narrator telling Marguerite’s story, but it was dry. I had a book coach and she told me the straight research parts in the early draft got a little dry, but the story came alive in parts where I was interacting with Marguerite’s story.
This is a funny side note – one chapter is me, sitting in a research library. I knew there was no action in that scene. I know a good story, when something harrowing is about to happen, there’s a hero and all. I thought, writing the scene, “this is really nerdy and boring. I’m sitting at a table, looking through files.” What’s funny is, readers tell me they love that chapter. That makes my heart sing, not only because they liked it, but because I communicated my anticipation and the thrill of finding primary source documents and photographs.
Question: What was the most exciting or rewarding part of writing this?
Friedland: When I as at the University of Minnesota archives and discovered the box with Henry’s Newbery Medal inside. It was all I could do to not stand up and do a dance, shriek and cheer – as someone who loves books, but, also, as an educator who taught for 22 years, I’d read Newbery medal books with students – I knew what a special, prestigious award it is and I got to hold it in my hand. I took photos to post on my blog, but also immediately texted my educator friends like, “oh my gosh, I held Marguerite Henry’s Newbery Medal!” That aside, knowing so many people love Misty, love these horse stories, every glimmer of who Henry was, fan mail letters she’d responded to. I was so excited to share insights into who this talented writer and amazing human being was with people who I knew would also be excited. Sharing her story – not that she needed me to, her books still stand, still sell, people love them but I wanted to honor her legacy, because, though she was famous and sold millions of books, she was a humble person. Maybe that’s what makes her appealing, why children connected with her – she never put on airs, she was a good, fun, smart woman who worked hard and loved animals.
Question: What’s something you perhaps didn’t include in the book, or that you feel readers might overlook?
Friedland: I got into it, in a friendly way, with my developmental editor because I found every detail fascinating. I wanted to go down rabbit holes and my editor felt I was getting off topic, so, I turned some of those into blog posts on Saddle Seeks Horse. Also, since the book came out, I’m still getting new information! Someone contacted me via Facebook saying her family had documents relating to Marguerite. She sent an image of a piece of blue material matching the cover of the first edition of “Misty of Chincoteague” and a note in Marguerite Henry’s handwriting. The note said, “this is what the cover of Misty will look like, I wanted it to be blue like the sea.” Those details were really cool! I also got nerdy with Marguerite’s midwestern background, because I can envision where these places are, there were a lot of local things I wanted to include, because locals will read the book, too! I wanted to go more in-depth about Marguerite’s editor, Dr. Mary Alice Jones, too. She was a fascinating woman, but this isn’t her story, it’s Marguerite’s. Same with Wesley Dennis.
Question: What’s your personal favorite Marguerite Henry book, if you can narrow it to one? Does she have any books you feel are underrated?
Friedland: Well, I love “Misty of Chincoteague,” it’s my favorite. One I think a lot of people don’t know, because it’s not a horse book, is “Birds at Home.” It’s a beautiful anthology of different types of bird from sparrows to robins, chickadees and blue jays. It’s well-written, she was good about having powerful verbs and not using many adjectives, making the action stand out. Another one is “Muley Ears, Nobody’s Dog,” it’s cute! It’s about a dog who lives on an island in Jamaica. He doesn’t have a family, but whenever people rent this beach house, he becomes their dog while they’re staying there.
Question: What are the coolest things you learned as you researched Henry’s life?
Friedland: I love how she always wanted a horse but didn’t get one until she was in her forties. I think it’s inspiring for middle-aged women and above to know there’s no wrong time to get into horses! She was a bold go-getter – her first job, she got it when she walked into a publisher’s office and basically said, “I’m here, I’d like to write for you, if it’s not good, you don’t have to pay me.” That’s ow she launched her career, as a woman in the 1920s when women had just gained the right to vote and weren’t in public life the way we are today. So, to go into what was a man’s world, be bold and get a job, is pretty cool!
Question: Was anything particularly challenging to research? If so, how’d you overcome it?
Friedland: One thing I knew existed but couldn’t find initially was Marguerite Henry’s newsletters from the late sixties. She sent these to fans and libraries. I posted to some horse-themed Facebook groups to no avail, then, a library near me happened to have several of her newsletters. I was also excited to find a letter she sent to someone about herself and her illustrator, Bob Lougheed. Lougheed illustrated some of her books after Wesley Dennis died, including “Mustang: Spirit of the Wild West.” For “Mustang Spirit,” she and Lougheed bought Spanish Mustang fillies from a Wyoming ranch and shipped them to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Museum in Oklahoma City – I read about this in one letter bud couldn’t confirm it, then found a second source that convinced me it happened. I contacted the Cowboy Hall of Fame and asked them about it, they found an old photo showing a sign reading, “Spanish Mustang horses courtesy of Marguerite Henry and Robert Lougheed.” That was amazing, finding that this one shred of information I saw in a letter was a real thing!
Question: Finally, is there anything I haven’t specifically asked that you’d like to mention?
Friedland: One thing I learned from Marguerite, though she’s been gone nearly 30 years, is to go for it! People sent her letters with ideas for books they thought she should write, and she would always sweetly write back the most empowering messages like, “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea for a story and I believe you would be the perfect person to bring that into the world,” she believed in people, she truly respected children. I’m delighted to have gotten to know her through the work I put into bringing “Marguerite, Misty & Me” into the world.