Sara Cone Bryant facts for kids

Sara Cone Bryant in 1914

Sara Cone Bryant (born in 1873, died in 1956) was an American writer, teacher, and speaker. She wrote many popular children's books in the early 1900s. Sara also played a big part in the movement for women's right to vote.

Early Life and Learning

Sara Cone Bryant in 1895

Sara Cone Bryant was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, in 1873. Her parents were Dexter and Dorcas Ann Bryant. She had two brothers, Albert and Wallace.

She went to grammar and high school in Melrose. Sara graduated from Melrose High School in 1891. She was the top student in her class. For her last two years, she was the editor of the high school newspaper.

In 1891, Sara started at Boston University. She quickly became interested in the college newspaper, the University Beacon. She wrote many articles for it. In her second year, she became an associate editor. She was in charge of the poetry section.

At the same time, Sara wrote for other newspapers. She often spoke at women's clubs in Boston. For three years, she had main roles in the university's French plays. Her class also chose her to be the poet for their graduation ceremony.

Sara won the first Willard scholarship. This award was for being excellent in modern languages. It allowed her to study abroad for a year. She graduated in 1895 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She was also a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Her studies abroad focused on how societies work and modern languages. In 1896, she studied kindergarten teaching methods in Berlin.

Career and Contributions

Sara Cone Bryant in 1903

Sara Cone Bryant in 1905

From 1897 to 1900, and later in her life, Sara wrote for many newspapers and magazines. Her children's stories were varied. They included funny tales, stories about heroes, fables (stories with a moral), and fairy tales. She also wrote "construction stories" which might have taught children how things are built or put together.

Sara helped start the College Equal Suffrage League. In 1901, she became its president. This group worked to give all people in the United States equal rights. This included the right to vote for women. She believed everyone should have the same opportunities and freedoms.

From 1904 to 1906, she taught English at Simmons College. She also gave lectures on English poetry there. In 1907, she lectured on storytelling at the Lucy Wheelock Kindergarten in Boston.

Personal Life and Passing

On March 9, 1908, Sara married Theodore Franz Borst. He was a person who grew plants and worked with gardens. They had two children together.

Sara Cone Bryant passed away in Framingham, Massachusetts, on May 28, 1956.

Selected Works

Books for Young Readers

I Am an American (1918)

• How to Tell Stories To Children, 1905
• Stories to tell the littlest ones
• Epaminondas and His Auntie
• I Am an American, 1918
• The Burning Rice Fields
• Fifty-one Stories to Tell to Children
• Best Stories to Tell to Children, 1912
• Gordon and His Friends, 1924

Popular Stories

• Humorous tales

• "The Story of Epaminondas"
• "The Little Jackal and the Alligator"
• "The Talkative Tortoise"
• "The Cat and the Parrot"

• Hero stories

• "Little Hero of Haarlem"

• Fables

• "The Wind and the Sun"

• Constructive stories

• "The Gingerbread Man"
• "Who Killed the Otter's Babies?"

• Fairy tales

• "The Adventures of the Little Field Mouse"
• "The Shoemaker and the Elves"