Marguerite Henry

Marguerite Henry was the author of more than 50 beloved children’s books, most of them about horses. Born in 1902, she sold her first story at age 11. Her most famous work, Misty of Chincoteague, was adapted into a successful film; this and the other Misty books proved a huge boon to tourism for the islands of Chincoteague and Assateague. Some of her other books include Justin Morgan Had a Horse, King of the Wind, Gaudenzia: Pride of the Palio, Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West, Brighty of the Grand Canyon, Black Gold, and San Domingo: the Medicine Hat Stallion. King of the Wind won the Newbery Medal in 1949. Henry also published a number of pictorial geography books for children in the 1940s. She passed away at age 95 in 1997.