Elizabeth Somerville facts for kids
Elizabeth Somerville (1774–1840) was a Scottish writer who mostly wrote books for children. Later in her life, she also worked as a school teacher.
Her Life Story
Elizabeth Somerville was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Her mother, Elizabeth Helme, was a school teacher and also translated books. Her father was William Helme. When she wrote her books, she often used the name Mrs. Somerville.
Later in her life, Elizabeth moved to Lancashire in England. Records show that she earned her own money.
Her Books
Elizabeth Somerville wrote many books, especially for young readers. Her stories often taught important lessons while being fun to read. Here are some of the books she published:
- Preludes to Knowledge, Or, Amusing and Instructive Conversations on History, Astronomy, Geography, Optics, and the Division of Time in Different Countries. Interspersed with Stories, Moral and Entertaining (1803)
- Lessons for children of three years old (1800)
- The history of little Charles, and his friend Frank Wilful (1808)
- The birth-day, or, Moral dialogues and stories for the instruction and amusement of juvenile readers (1802)
- Choice tales, for the improvement of youth of both sexes (1803)
- James Manners, little John, and their dog Bluff (1801)
- The history of little Phoebe and the reclaimed child (1809)
- The village maid, or, Dame Burton's Moral Stories (1803)
- Flora: or the deserted child (1800)
- The faithful mirror (1799)
- Aurora and Maria; or the Advantages of Adversity. A Moral Tale. (1809)
Her books were even advertised in newspapers like The Morning Chronicle. They were promoted as "Mrs. Somerville's new Christmas present for youth."
What People Thought of Her Books
People who reviewed books at the time often praised Elizabeth Somerville's work. For example, The British Critic said her book Preludes to Knowledge was "a very pleasing and proper book for children about ten or twelve years of age." They liked how it mixed fun with learning.
She was also mentioned in a book called a Biographical Dictionary of Authors in Great Britain. This dictionary called her an "author of several ingenious books for children."
Another review, in the Anti-Jacobin Review, described her book Aurora and Maria as "a very neat, interesting, instructive, and moral tale." They felt it had good stories and lessons that could help young people learn and grow.
