Dear Readers and Riders: Behind the Scenes with the Girl on the Cover

Now that my book Marguerite, Misty and Me is in the world, people who have had a connection to Marguerite Henry, whether meeting her at a book signing, an event or living in her neighborhood, have found me. Last week I had a chance to connect with the woman who, as a little girl, was on the cover of Dear Readers and Riders. The way we found each other was through a Facebook post.

I shared a blog post review of the book Dear Marguerite Henry (first published under the title Dear Readers and Riders) and someone who saw the post on Facebook commented that her sister Amy was the girl on the book cover. I sent a private message to the commenter asking if she would help me connect to her sister, because this sounded like a good story!

I was given the sister’s phone number and was captivated by the tale. I called Amy, and learned she still has horses in her life and now lives in Wisconsin. I was so eager to hear how it all came to be. At the start of our conversation, Amy said it wasn’t really much of a story. As she began narrating the tale, I realized it IS TOTALLY a great story!

How a Young Horse Girl Got on the Cover of Dear Readers and Riders

Amy’s family lived in Wadsworth, Illinois, (not far from Tempel Lipizzan farm) and their next door neighbor was an artist who worked for Rand McNally, Marguerite Henry’s Chicago-based publisher. When she wasn’t outside with her pony, Amy was reading books about horses. She read all of Marguerite Henry’s books and the Black Stallion series. The story of how she got the mare was a neighbor had several ponies and her mom bought one of them, a pretty sorrel Shetland Pony named J Ville Sugar Plum. Unbeknownst to Amy’s family, the mare was pregnant with the foal that you see her next to on the cover of Dear Readers and Riders. She named the foal Dreamboat.

One day, in the spring of 1966, while Amy was spending quality time in her yard with the mare and foal, the Rand McNally neighbor had a photographer over to visit. Apparently they saw the sweet connection between the girl and ponies, and the photographer snapped a picture and that was that. Amy’s mom didn’t know her daughter’s photo had been taken–that’s wild–times have definitely changed. End of story. Sort of.

The neighbor they bought the pony mare from had a small business, and months later, he received a 1967 spring promotional calendar in the mail. It was a large, horizontal calendar with a picture of a girl and a mare and a foal. The calendar had a quote “Spring: new color, new spirit, new growth: for some, a whole new life ready for living.” He recognized the little girl on the calendar as his tween neighbor, Amy. He called Amy’s mom and said, “Did you know Amy was on a calendar?” Later Rand McNally had Amy’s mom sign a release and paid her mom ten dollars. They didn’t think much of it, and Amy continued to busy herself riding her pony. Apparently Marguerite Henry saw the photo on the calendar and it moved her.

Two years later, Amy received a book in the mail. It was Dear Readers and Riders by Marguerite Henry, and Amy was on the cover. Marguerite had signed the interior title page:

“To Amy, who shares my love of horses. Happy trails always! Marguerite Henry.”

Above Marguerite’s name in cursive was a little horse shoe she drew in blue ink.

Remembering how everything felt embarrassing to me when I was 12, I asked Amy, “Were you embarrassed to have your face on the cover of a book, or did you think it was an honor?” Amy said she didn’t think much of it because she was too busy riding her pony.

Today the spring calendar from decades ago, a memory of Amy enjoying her two ponies is framed, and on display inside her horse trailer. She never met Marguerite Henry, but she has kept the signed edition of Dear Readers and Riders, and the memories of a childhood immersed in horses.

If you are interested in a copy of Dear Readers and Riders, you can sometimes find them on Amazon, or a site like Abe Books. If you would like to discover more of the hidden history of Marguerite Henry, read Marguerite, Misty and Me for a feel-good jaunt through horsey nostalgia.

Click here to shop Susan Friedland’s Marguerite, Misty and Me.