Marguerite Henry is best known for her many horse stories, several of them winners of major awards, some made into highly popular films, and many of them actively lasting in the minds of child readers. Mention horse story to any child interested in the genre, and Marguerite Henry is among the first names spoken. Like few other writers of stories about animals, Henry manages to focus upon that animal--the horse--and yet make the reader aware not only of historical times, but also of the relationships of the horse to the people who ride, own, admire, and care for it. The mixing of historical background with the story of the horse's life and experience is singularly effective in Henry's books. Her research is apparent, convincing, and essential to the development of her novels. Her sense of time, acquired through watching generations of horses and people, is strong enough to...