Brighty of the Grand Canyon

Title: Brighty of the Grand Canyon
Author: Marguerite Henry
Major Themes: Horses, Donkeys, Arizona, Grand Canyon, Teddy Roosevelt
Synopsis: Brighty the little burro spent his life in the Grand Canyon, and when the old man he loved was murdered, it was up to Brighty to bring the murderer to justice.

I have been thinking for a number of years that I wanted to read Brighty of the Grand Canyon aloud. I remember reading it when I was young, and really enjoying it. I remembered it as a great adventure story, and a delightful horse story. It also brought the Grand Canyon to life in a way nothing else I’ve ever read has done.

Brighty, or Bright Angel, was a little burro who lived in the canyon with an old prospector who was called Old Timer. Brighty spent his days roaming free, but every evening he would hunt up Old Timer and join him for companionship and a meal. His favorite meals were when the old prospector made flapjacks.  But then one evening, Old Timer wasn’t there. Uncle Jim, the government lion hunter, and the sheriff searched for Old Timer’s murderer, but could not find him.

Brighty spent time helping Theodore Roosevelt bag a lion, and when a new footbridge was built across the canyon, he helped to open it. A few years later, Brighty returned to his side of the canyon, and got tangled up with Old Timer’s murderer again. Could the man be brought to justice this time? This last part of the book includes a lot of action, a lot of tension, and some very funny scenes as well.

We have enjoyed all of Marguerite Henry’s books that we have read. I think Brighty of the Grand Canyon might be my favorite, however. This is not only a story of a horse and of a special area, it is also a wonderful story of friendship. Old Timer, Uncle Jim, and Homer, the water boy at the ranch, all loved Brighty and cared for him, and he returned that love. All of us enjoyed the story. I know my younger children love a book when they retell the story to their older brothers in the evening. They enthusiastically retold the story of Brighty to their brothers, and now the older boys want to read it as well.

WARNING: (No chapter numbers, just titles) Blue-Flecked Rocks, page 26: durn tootin’, great horns. Good-bye, Old Timer: evidence of a murder. The Sheriff Learns a Lesson, page 41: Blast it. Page 43: you tarnal… On the Mend, page 72: I’ll be danged. The Lion Hunt, page 79: durn tootin’. Within the Black Tunnel, page 88: you dang fool. The Battle Scars O’ Freedom, page 100: Dang it. Brighty, B. A., page 119: by George. Page 124: I’ll be danged. Strange Thanksgiving, page 196: I’ll be danged. Moon-lily Tea, page 202: by thunder. Blazing Guns: something is shot with a gun.