50
Used, New, and Out of Print Books - We Buy and Sell - Powell's Books
Cart |
|  my account  |  wish list  |  help   |  800-878-7323
Hello, | Login
MENU
  • Browse
    • New Arrivals
    • Bestsellers
    • Featured Preorders
    • Award Winners
    • Audio Books
    • See All Subjects
  • Used
  • Staff Picks
    • Staff Picks
    • Picks of the Month
    • 50 Books for 50 Years
    • 25 Best 21st Century Sci-Fi & Fantasy
    • 25 PNW Books to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Books From the 21st Century
    • 25 Memoirs to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Global Books to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Women to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Books to Read Before You Die
  • Gifts
    • Gift Cards & eGift Cards
    • Powell's Souvenirs
    • Journals and Notebooks
    • socks
    • Games
  • Sell Books
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Find A Store

PowellsBooks.Blog
Authors, readers, critics, media − and booksellers.

Rare Books

Bright Angel

by Kirsten Berg, June 17, 2009 1:38 PM
At the Bright Angel Lodge at the head of the Bright Angel Trail on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, there is a statue honoring a burro named Brighty. The free-spirited animal was a Park Service mascot, and he lived in the Canyon for almost 30 years.

Author Marguerite Henry read about the famous burro in an old copy of Sunset magazine. Brighty had so much personality that he was a natural subject for her. Her story of his life, Brighty of the Grand Canyon, is charmingly illustrated by Wesley Dennis.

A book about a burro? If you're familiar with Marguerite Henry's animal stories, then you know this is a good read. It's not just an animal story, either. Theodore Roosevelt makes an appearance, a suspension bridge (the Bright Angel Suspension Bridge across the Colorado River) is built, a murder mystery is solved, and by the end of the story you've learned a bit about American history and the natural history of the Grand Canyon, too.

We are lucky enough to have a signed copy of Brighty of the Grand Canyon with a tipped-in photo of the author and her own burro, Jiggs, who played Brighty in the 1967 movie version.

Brighty the burro disappeared in the early 1920s. Marguerite Henry softened up his ending for her book — it is a children's book, after all — but his legend lives on, thanks to her and the people who befriended him and treated him kindly, and to Theodore Roosevelt, who declared Brighty's home a national monument.




Books mentioned in this post

Brighty of the Grand Canyon, Signed

Brighty Of The Grand Canyon

Marguerite Henry

The Burro

Frank Brookshier
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##

Most Read

  1. Best Fiction of 2020 by Powell's Books
  2. 25 Books to Read Before You Die: 21st Century by Powell's Staff
  3. Midyear Roundup 2021: The Best Books of the Year (So Far) by Powell's Staff
  4. The 11 Best Places to Read by Will Schwalbe
  5. 25 Books to Read Before You Die: Pacific Northwest Edition by Powell's Staff

Blog Categories

  • Interviews
  • Original Essays
  • Lists
  • Q&As
  • Playlists
  • Portrait of a Bookseller
  • City of Readers
  • Required Reading
  • Powell's Picks Spotlight

One Response to "Bright Angel"

Drifter Smith June 21, 2009 at 06:34 PM
Last time I saw that statue of Brighty, it was in the lodge on the North Rim, not too far from the head of the North Kaibab Trail....NOT on the South Rim, nor near Bright Angel Lodge or trail... I've been in the Bright Angel Lodge frequently (on the SOUTH Rim) and have never seen it there... It's kinda hard to miss Brighty - the custom is that you rub her nose (for good luck?) In any event, it is very well polished... And for what it's worth: the only time I ever saw Marguerite Henry it was at her home in Illinois - more than 50 years ago. The reason I remember it is that my sister got too close to Misty, who came damn close to stomping her...

Result(s) 1

Post a comment:

*Required Fields
Name*
Email*
  1. Please note:
  2. All comments require moderation by Powells.com staff.
  3. Comments submitted on weekends might take until Monday to appear.
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

  • Help
  • Guarantee
  • My Account
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Security
  • Wish List
  • Partners
  • Contact Us
  • Shipping
  • Sitemap
  • © 2022 POWELLS.COM Terms