Mabel O'Donnell facts for kids

Mabel O'Donnell (1890–1985) was a famous author who wrote many popular books for children. She is best known for her "basal readers," which are special books designed to help young students learn to read and become strong readers. Mabel O'Donnell created the well-loved Alice and Jerry and Janet and John book series. Her books were incredibly popular, selling over 100 million copies worldwide!

Early Life and Education

Mabel O'Donnell was born in Aurora, Illinois. She went to school in the East Aurora Public School District 131 and graduated from East Aurora High School. After high school, she continued her education at the University of Chicago and Columbia University.

After finishing her studies, O'Donnell returned to Aurora. She worked as a teacher, a principal (called a "primary supervisor" back then), and a curriculum coordinator for the East Aurora School District. This meant she helped decide what students would learn in their classes. In 1946, she left her school job to become an editor for Row, Peterson and Company, a publishing company she had been writing for since the late 1930s.

To honor her contributions, the East Aurora School District named an elementary school after Mabel O'Donnell in 1965. This school is located on Reckinger Road.

Becoming a Children's Author

Mabel O'Donnell started her journey as an author in 1938. At that time, she was still working as a primary grade supervisor and curriculum coordinator. She began writing a series of books specifically for young readers.

These books became known as "The Alice and Jerry Books." They were published by Row, Peterson and Company, a company based in Evanston that focused on textbooks. This company later became part of HarperCollins. In total, more than 20 books were published in "The Alice and Jerry Books" series.

In 1949, O'Donnell also worked on the Janet and John series. These books were an English version of her "Alice and Jerry" stories, made for children in the United Kingdom. Over the years, her books were updated. Sometimes, the character names changed, and the stories had small adjustments. The beautiful pictures in these books were created by illustrators Florence and Margaret Hoopes.

Mabel O'Donnell also did important research on how children learn to read. She co-authored a book called Prevention and Correction of Reading Difficulties with Emmett Albert Betts.

Books by Mabel O'Donnell

Mabel O'Donnell wrote many books that helped children learn to read and enjoy stories. Here are some of her well-known titles:

• Happy Days
• Here and There
• Rides and Slides
• Skip Along
• Under the Sky
• Open the Door
• High on a Hill
• Day In and Day Out
• The Wishing Well
• Round About
• Anything Can Happen
• Down the River Road
• Friendly Village
• Through The Green Gate
• If I Were Going
• Five-and-a-Half Club
• Singing Wheels
• Engine Whistles
• Runaway Home
• It Happened One Day
• It Must Be Magic
• After the Sun Sets

(Some of these books were later updated, and "The New" was added to the front of their titles.)