History Corner: Dear Readers and Riders : The Beloved Books, Faithful Fans, and Hidden Private Life of Marguerite Henry by Lettie Teague

  Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from Harper Collins via Edelweissplus, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own.

The untold story of the favorite children’s book author, featuring original artwork by Wesley Dennis, from some of Henry’s best-known books, as well as over 100 personal photographs, letters, and artifacts.

Synopsis:

In certain circles, her name inspires immediate recognition and pronouncements of a committed admiration that has likely spanned decades. As an author, Marguerite Henry was indeed remarkably prolific, with 59 books published, millions of copies sold, and nearly 80 years of her life spent writing them—or responding personally to the stacks of fan mail she received—at her typewriter. Her books, most meticulously researched historical fiction about influential horses and the hosts of fascinating characters who surrounded them—to name just a few, her Newbery Award winner King of the Wind, the book that changed an island Misty of Chincoteague, and the glowingly reviewed Justin Morgan Had a Horse—have had an outsized influence on those who grew up reading them, ultimately leading to writing careers, lives dedicated to riding and caring for horses and other animals, and even fan memoirs describing Henry’s impact.

But despite a professional existence that became profoundly public, particularly after Misty of Chincoteague, published in 1947, became a bestseller and eventually a popular feature film in 1961, Henry’s own life was mostly shielded from view.

With particular purpose to uncover what is little known about the author, as well as superb instincts for illustrating fascinating details that help readers construct the settings in which Henry’s creative mind, intensive historical and scholarly research, and storytelling ability matured and evolved, accomplished journalist and author Lettie Teague has provided a unique biography that is as much a pleasure to read as her subject’s own books. Highlighting over a dozen titles that represent, to Teague, not only the best of Marguerite Henry’s work but help tell the story of Marguerite Henry herself, and following the trail of some of her remarkable collaborators—most importantly, the charismatic and talented artist Wesley Dennis—Teague gives Henry fans what they always strived for through their thousands of letters: personal connection.

Perhaps what Henry would deem less important, but becomes more and more valid as time passes, is Teague’s desire for the author’s legacy to live on. Many of Marguerite Henry’s books are still very much in print, but as time passes, fewer will remember once writing her fan letters, or perhaps think of the author at all. In these pages, Teague ensures that Marguerite Henry the writer will always be considered as every bit as remarkable as the books that she wrote. Featuring original artwork by Wesley Dennis from some of Henry’s best-known books, as well as over 100 personal photographs, letters, and artifacts few have seen, this is a warm and wonderful biography for bibliophiles, horse lovers, aspiring writers, and Marguerite Henry fans, young and old.

Review:

I grew up reading ALL of Marguerite's books, and credit her horse books with my enduring love of horses. To her credit, she is responsible for my one and only true tantrum growing up- we were supposed to attend her book signing of An Illustrated History, and my parents decided at last minute we were leaving to grandma's house for the holidays early and not going. To say I was CRUSHED was an understatement, and hence the tantrum erupted. Apparently it was bad enough, it convinced them to turn around and take me! LOL! When I girl fanned and was speechless, my mother admitted to Marguerite my horrid faux pas, and she was charmed that I put up such a fuss to meet HER. Not only did she sign my new book, she drew a Christmas tree and urged me to stay spunky. Priceless autograph, and priceless words from an amazing woman, who made THAT much of a difference with her children's books! So when I saw this new book, I new I had to read it!

Lettie covers the books that she feels are the most important from the 59 books she wrote, and I have to agree with her list. She talks about how the different books were researched, developed and the fan response to them. It was interesting to read again how she and Wesley Dennis came together, after he wrote his horse book Flip, and how they then collaborated on her future books, and how it was their combined efforts at editing, that made the books so special. Obviously there are a couple of chapters to Misty and her sequels, but the one that really made me smile, was the chapter dedicated to the Breyer models from her books. Yes, I also was the recipient of all of her book/model sets, LOL, and still have them today! My generation's love of horses, pretty much came down to these books and their models, that made them come alive, in the days before the internet! That was the only thing the books influenced- her Misty book helped usher in "book tourism"! To this day, Pony Penning Day brings in tourists from all over to the island of Chincoteague, and most will tell you, they always wanted to see it, after reading about in it Misty! Teague's book is like stepping back in time, and revisiting some of the best parts of my childhood, and seeing once again what an amazing and giving person Marguerite was. if you read her books, you'll be charmed by this book too!

About the Author:

Lettie Teague has been The Wall Street Journal's wine columnist since 2010. Before joining the Journal, Teague was the executive wine editor and columnist for Food & Wine magazine. She is the author of two books, Wine in Words and Educating Peter, and co-author and illustrator of Fear of Wine. Her writing has won three James Beard Awards, including the M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award. More importantly, Teague has been a fan of bestselling children's book author Marguerite Henry since she was nine years old. A horsewoman as well as an oenophile, Teague's first horseback ride took place around the same time as her first Marguerite Henry book (Born to Trot) and she, like Henry, grew up in the Midwest aspiring to be a writer. "Perhaps that's the biggest reason why I want to tell Marguerite's story," says Teague. "I feel like so many of the same things have shaped our lives." Teague is currently based in New Jersey, which she proudly notes happens to have one of the highest horse populations in America. As Teague points out, it may be called the "Garden State" but it might as well be entitled "The Horsiest State." (Teague is working on this as a proposed license plate.)