Marguerite Henry Books In Order

Publication Order of Misty Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Children's Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Marguerite Henry is a children’s author best known for her animal stories that for the most past are about horses. Henry was born in 1902 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the youngest daughter of Anna and Louis Breithaupt. Her father ran and owned a publishing business and hence she was grounded in aspects of writing and reading from very early on. Nonetheless, since she was brought up in the city, she never had much interaction with pets but still developed a fondness for animals that she writes about in her novels. Marguerite was very much interested in writing and books and by the time she was eleven she had sold her first article to a magazine. She also worked at the local library where she repaired books. She published her first novel “Misty of Chincoteague” in 1947 and this became the first of the “Misty” series of novels. Since then, she has published more than fifty children’s novels to become one of the most popular animal story writers for children ever. While she died in 1997, her touching and exciting stories continue to be widely read.

After graduating from Milwaukee’s Riverside High School, she went to the Milwaukee State Teachers College and a few years later attended the University of Wisconsin. At the age of 21, she got married to a sales manager named Sidney Crocker Henry and from that time took his last name. Her first breakthrough was the few articles she wrote for the “Evening Post,” which were then followed by information books and several minor children’s stories. Her first full-length title was “Auno and Tauno” published in 1940. The work was inspired by the story of childhood experiences that was recounted to her by her two Finnish friends. This was then followed by several other children’s novels that included “Dilly Dally Sally Their First Igloo on Baffin Island,” and “Geraldine Belinda.” She also published several illustrated books such as “Australia in Stories and Pictures,” “Alaska in Stories and Pictures” and “Mexico in Stories and Pictures.” Her breakthrough novel was the 1945 novel “Justin Morgan Had a Horse” that won critical acclaim. The novel is set at the end of the eighteenth century and is a retelling of the story of Morgan horse right from the moment the animal was sired in rural Vermont. Once he was done with the story, the author scanned the local library for children’s novels trying to find an illustrator. She knew she had found the right man when she found a novel named “Flip” that was illustrated and written by Wesley Dennis. She communicated with the author and Wesley agreed to work on the illustrations and thus began a long collaboration that produced more than twenty novels.

One of the most enduring and popular works by Henry was the 1947 published title “Misty of Chincoteague’ that went on to become part of her legacy series. Similar to many of her stories, it is based on fact as the horse written about in the novel was a filly that she once saw at Chincoteague during Pony Penning Day. Henry purchased and lived with Misty the pony for several years while writing her book. Eventually, the pony was shipped back to a ranch where the buyer wanted her for breeding. Once the novel was published, the pony became very popular and was a celebrity of sorts and even got an invite to the American Library Association conference. She would later have a movie made based on her life. When Marguerite Henry’s first colt had to be named, she asked children for suggestions and Misty was a universal favorite. The novel Misty of Chincoteague was the winner of the 1961 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award and the Newbery Honor Book. One characteristic that has made Henry one of the best children’s authors is that she combined imagination with history to make some of the most vigorous and authentic plots in the genre. She spent months on the research on her novels as she used interviews, sent letter and made trips to different locales to get all the details right. For instance, she wrote letters to Dana David Hewitt, a 98-year-old resident of Virginia when she was researching her novel Justin Morgan Had a Horse.

Marguerite Henry’s “Misty of Chincoteague” is the story of Maureen and Paul Beebe who are two children living on Chincoteague Island with their grandparents. They dream of one day owning a horse known as Phantom but the problem is the species has never been caught in the yearly hunting on Assateague Island. Growing tired of waiting, they decide to go to the fire chief and purchase one from him. Paul gets an agreement from the chief to get Phantom together with a newborn foal which he names Misty. But on getting to the sale floor they find a sold sign on their horse and foal and the fire chief is categorical in asserting that the purchase was final. But they are not about to give up that easy and go through a lot of hoops and finally get their hands on Phantom. It is a great horse story that still charms young and old readers alike.

“Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague” the second novel of the “Misty” series by Marguerite Henry opens to Pony Penning day at Chincoteague. It is set at a time just before the wild horses on the island are hunted and then made available to buyers. Maureen and Paul are approached by some filmmakers that are interested in purchasing Misty the horse they got the previous year. They cherish Misty and it is painful having to let her go though having money to send their uncle to college is important to them too. Moreover, they believe that children need to live and enjoy the beauty and exhilaration of being with Misty. But once they let her go, their hearts are filled with emptiness and now they need to get something else to slave their wounds and fill the emptiness. Luckily, they find Sea Stat an orphaned foal that they make their own. However, he has a problem with his appetite which has affected his health and now Paul and Maureen need to find a solution if he is to live.

Henry’s novel “Misty Foal” opens to Maureen and Paul Beebe having to leave their home on Chincoteague Island. There is a huge storm looming and they have to leave behind Misty their pregnant pony on the island, which is quite a hard thing to do. With each passing day, they need to be exceptionally strong and knowing that their pony is on the island that had been badly hit by a storm is not helping matters. Fortunately, they come back to Chincoteague to find that Misty and Stormy her newborn foal are fine. The theme of the novel is that things will often get better even if they seem to be so bad in the present.

3 Responses to “Marguerite Henry”

1. Meg: 2 years ago

   I ate up the Marguerite Henry horse books with the beautiful Wesley Dennis illustrations. as a child. They taught me about surviving twists of fate and being okay.

   Reply
2. Nancy Brame: 3 years ago

   In 1960, my family visited Chingcoteague during Pony Penning. It was a terrific experience. I got to meet Misty at the Beebe Farm and fed her an apple. When the movie came out we could see our family in some of the crowd scenes. What a great time we had.

   Reply
   • Mary K Tilghman: 3 years ago

     I was just on Chincoteague for the week–we go every year and I’ve decided to base a book there. I have written four novels. I’d love to talk to you, Nancy, about your experience.
     Thanks.

     Reply