Rachel Field facts for kids

Rachel Lyman Field (born September 19, 1894 – died March 15, 1942) was an American writer. She wrote novels, poems, and stories for children.

Rachel Field is most famous for her book Hitty, Her First Hundred Years. This book won the important Newbery Award. She also won a National Book Award and had two of her books added to the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list. This list honors books that are considered classics, like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

About Rachel Field's Life

Rachel Field grew up in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She was a descendant of David Dudley Field, a well-known clergyman and writer from early New England.

When she was 16, her first essay, "A Winter Walk," was published in St. Nicholas Magazine. She went to Radcliffe College to study writing. There, she learned from a famous teacher named George Pierce Baker.

Rachel Field loved Maine. She first visited the state when she was 15. She was enchanted by its "island-scattered coast." Her book Calico Bush (published in 1931) is a great example of how she brought people and places to life in her stories. It's a quiet but beautiful tale of courage.

In 1935, Rachel Field married Arthur S. Pederson. They worked together on a book called To See Ourselves in 1937. One of her plays was even made into a British film in 1938.

Rachel Field also wrote popular books for adults. These included Time Out of Mind (1935), All This and Heaven Too (1938), and And Now Tomorrow (1942). All three of these books were later made into movies. She also wrote the English words for the "Ave Maria" song used in the Disney movie Fantasia.

She also wrote a story about the birth of Jesus called "All Through the Night." Later in her life, Rachel Field moved to Hollywood. She lived there with her husband and daughter.

Rachel Field passed away on March 15, 1942. She died from pneumonia after an operation.

Awards and Recognitions

Rachel Field received several important awards for her writing:

• Hitty, Her First Hundred Years won the Newbery Medal in 1930. This award is given to the best children's book published in America that year.
• Her book Prayer for a Child, published after she died in 1944, won the Caldecott Medal. This award is for the most distinguished picture book for children published in the U.S. The beautiful illustrations were done by Elizabeth Orton Jones.
• Both Hitty and Prayer for a Child were added to the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list. This means they are considered classic books, like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Prayer for a Child was added in 1958, and Hitty was added in 1961.
• Time Out of Mind won one of the very first National Book Awards in 1935. It was chosen as the Most Distinguished Novel of that year by booksellers.

Selected Books and Plays

Here are some of Rachel Field's notable works:

• 1924, The Pointed People (poetry)
• 1924, Cinderella Married, A Comedy in One Act (play)
• 1926, Taxis and Toadstools (poetry)
• 1926, Eliza and the Elves (fiction)
• 1927, The Magic Pawnshop (fiction)
• 1929, Hitty, Her First Hundred Years (fiction) – This book won the 1930 Newbery Medal.
• 1931, Calico Bush (fiction)
• 1932, Hepatica Hawks (fiction)
• 1934, Branches Green (poetry) – This book includes the poem "Something Told the Wild Geese."
• 1935, Time Out Of Mind (fiction)
• 1937, To See Ourselves (fiction) – Written with her husband, Arthur Pederson.
• 1938, All This and Heaven Too (fiction) – This book was based on a true story about Rachel Field's great-aunt. It was made into a movie in 1940.
• 1940, "Ave Maria" lyrics for the film Fantasia
• 1940, All Through the Night (nativity story)
• 1942, And Now Tomorrow (fiction)
• 1944, Prayer for a Child (picture book) – Illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones. This book won the 1945 Caldecott Medal.