Elizabeth Yates (author) facts for kids

Elizabeth Yates McGreal (born December 6, 1905 – died July 29, 2001) was an American writer. She is best known for her book Amos Fortune, Free Man. This book won the famous Newbery Medal in 1951. She was also a Newbery runner-up in 1944 for her book Mountain Born. Before writing books, she worked as a journalist. She wrote travel articles for newspapers like The Christian Science Monitor and The New York Times. Many of her stories had beautiful pictures drawn by the British artist Nora S. Unwin.

Elizabeth Yates also wrote about her own life in three books. These were My Diary – My World (1981), My Widening World (1983), and One Writer's Way (1984).

Growing Up and Learning

Elizabeth Yates was born in Buffalo, New York. Her parents were Harry and Mary Duffy Yates. She was the seventh of eight children in her family. Her father owned a large farm. Because of this, Elizabeth grew up loving animals and the land around her.

She went to Franklin School and finished there in 1924. After that, she spent a year at Oaksmere. This was a private school near New York City. Elizabeth always remembered her school days with happiness.

Books were very important to Elizabeth. She said her mother helped her love reading. Her mother would read aloud to the whole family. When Elizabeth was 12, her father asked her to read the entire Bible. It became one of her favorite books. Her sister also helped her love reading. She even made a list of books for Elizabeth to read.

From a young age, Elizabeth enjoyed writing stories. When she was a child, she had a special secret writing spot. It was in an old pigeon loft on her family's farm.

Her Writing Journey

After finishing school, Elizabeth moved to Manhattan. There, she started writing reviews for books and articles for newspapers. In 1929, she married William Henry McGreal. They moved to England and lived there for ten years. In 1938, she published her first book, High Holiday. It was a novel for adults set in the Swiss Alps.

In 1939, Elizabeth and William came back to the United States. They settled in Peterborough, New Hampshire. They bought a farm there. While fixing up their farmhouse, they found some old artwork. This discovery inspired Elizabeth to write Patterns on the Wall. Many of Elizabeth's books were based on her own life experiences. She loved the land very much. This led her to write The Road Through Sandwich Notch. This book helped save a part of New Hampshire. It became part of the White Mountain National Forest.

Elizabeth Yates also taught writing classes. She held workshops at the University of New Hampshire, the University of Connecticut, and Indiana University. She also worked as the Director for the New Hampshire Association for the Blind.

Elizabeth Yates' husband passed away in 1963. Elizabeth Yates herself died on July 29, 2001. She was 95 years old and passed away at a hospice in Concord, New Hampshire.

Awards and Honors

Elizabeth Yates received many awards for her writing. In 1943, her book Patterns on the Wall won the Herald Tribune Award. Her most famous book, Amos Fortune, Free Man, won several awards. It received the Newbery Medal, the first ever William Allen White Children's Book Award, and another Herald Tribune Award.

Her book Mountain Born was a Newbery Honor book in 1944. In 1955, Rainbow Round the World won the Jane Addams Children's Book Award. This award comes from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

In 1970, Elizabeth Yates received the Sarah Josepha Hale Award. This award recognized her amazing work in literature.

In the 1990s, the New Hampshire Association for the Blind started a group called the William and Elizabeth Yates McGreal Society. Elizabeth had been the President of their board. Her husband, William, was the first Executive Director of the Association.

In 1994, the Concord, New Hampshire Public Library created the Elizabeth Yates Award. This award honors people in the Concord area. It celebrates those who help inspire young people to read.

People have said that Elizabeth Yates' books are special. They are "the result of extensive research, a strong underlying belief in God, and a vivid imagination."

Books by Elizabeth Yates

• Someday You'll Write, 1962

Books She Helped Compile or Edit

• Trudell PM, Margaret. Elizabeth Yates: A Biography and Bibliography of Her Works (Authorhouse, 2003)