If the characters in Marguerite Henry's books seem real it is because they usually are real. Often they are based on people and animals that have been part of her own life. Misty of Chincoteague, based on the roundup of wild ponies on an island off the coast of Virginia, has enchanted readers and reviewers alike. King of the Wind, the story of the famed Godolphin Arabian, was a winner of the Newbery Medal and has been read and reread by children all over the world.
The Little Fellow, a picture book set in beautiful bluegrass country, is a joyful introduction for younger children to the world of horses. The story tells of a real foal named Chip and his mother, Chocolate. Chip was the darling of the stable until Strawberry Jenks arrived. The author watched the biting, fighting fracas between the young rivals, and marveled by what means peace in the pasture was restored.
Ms. Henry wrote Little Fellow twice, this first illustrated by DianaThorne, and a revised edition illustrated by Rich Rudish. The first version is longer and features a black stablehand named Whitey, while the revised version features Dooley, who is white.
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