May Hill Arbuthnot facts for kids

May Hill Arbuthnot (born August 27, 1884 – died October 2, 1969) was an amazing American educator, editor, and writer. She spent her entire career showing everyone how important children's books are. Thanks to her hard work, there are now many more wonderful books for kids, and libraries have better collections. She was even named one of the "100 Most Important Leaders" of the 20th Century by American Libraries magazine!

Growing Up and Schooling

May Hill was born in Mason City, Iowa, in 1884. She moved around a lot as a child, living in different cities like Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Illinois. May loved reading from a young age, and her parents were big readers too. She often read from the Book of Common Prayer.

She finished Hyde Park High School in Chicago in 1912. Because of money problems, May didn't go to college right away. Instead, she earned a special certificate for teaching young children from the University of Chicago in 1913. Nine years later, in 1922, she finally got her bachelor's degree from the same university. May also earned her master's degree from Columbia University in 1924.

In 1932, May Hill married Charles Crisswell Arbuthnot. They met later in her career. Charles was the head of the economics department at Western Reserve University.

May's Career Journey

Early Teaching Roles

May Hill Arbuthnot had many different jobs while she was studying. She taught kindergarten in Wisconsin and led a teacher training program in New York City. She also taught children's literature at the University of Chicago.

In 1922, May became the principal of a training school for kindergarten teachers in Cleveland, Ohio. She worked very hard, and in 1927, this school became part of Western Reserve University. It was then called the Department of Elementary Education. May became an associate professor there. This school became very important for training teachers and parents about how children learn and how to help them read. She worked there until she retired in 1950.

May also helped children's reading skills in other ways. She reviewed children's books for Children’s Education magazine from 1933 to 1943. Later, she reviewed books for Elementary English from 1948 to 1950.

Books May Wrote

One of May Hill Arbuthnot's biggest contributions was the many books she published. She wrote a college textbook called Children and Books. It was first published in 1947 and was used in children's literature classes for many years. Later editions were co-written with Zena Sutherland.

Another important project was the Basic Reader Series. In 1947, May and her friend William S. Gray from the University of Chicago created this series for young readers. This series became very popular and is now famous as the first of the Dick and Jane books. Some people thought these books focused more on teaching reading skills than on being great stories.

Even after May retired from teaching, she kept writing books and giving talks. Some of her last books were anthologies. These books collected many different stories and poems to help teachers find good books for their students. Two well-known ones are Time for Poetry (1951) and Arbuthnot Anthology of Children’s Literature (1953). Both of these have been printed many times.

Awards and Honors

May Hill Arbuthnot received two special awards after she retired. In 1959, the Women's National Book Association gave her the Constance Lindsay Skinner Medal. This award honors American women who work with books and have done great things beyond their regular jobs.

In 1964, she received the Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association. This medal celebrates excellence in children's literature. It honors someone who has made a "continued, distinguished contribution to children’s literature."

Lectures and Awards in Her Name

The Arbuthnot Honor Lecture was started in 1969. It was created by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), which is part of the American Library Association (ALA). This lecture is given by an expert in children's literature, like a historian, librarian, or author. In the very first lecture, May Arbuthnot herself spoke about how important "the spoken word" is. She said she spent many years "bringing children and books together by way of spoken word."

The Arbuthnot Award is given out every year by the International Reading Association. It gives $800 to someone who shows excellence in teaching children's or young adult literature at the college level.

Her Beliefs About Books

May Hill Arbuthnot's ideas about books are best explained in her introduction to The Real Mother Goose by Blanche Fisher Wright. She believed that simple books could get children very interested in reading. When kids enjoy books and read them over and over, their reading skills get much better.

She also thought that parents could help children learn just by reading and interacting with them. She explained how the physical book itself helps with learning. May said, "As a result, children will know more words and speak them more crisply and clearly than they would have without Mother Goose. Above all, they will carry with them some feeling for the fun, freshness and sheer delight of poetry. All this because of Mother Goose.”

Selected Works

• May Hill Arbuthnot (1947). Children and Books. Chicago: Scott, Foresman. (This book had four editions with May as the only author. Four more editions came out later with Zena Sutherland as the main author, along with May Arbuthnot.)