Wilhelmina Harper facts for kids

Wilhelmina Harper (born April 21, 1884 – died December 23, 1973) was a special person who loved books and children. She was a children's librarian, which means she helped kids find exciting stories. She also wrote many children's books herself! She worked as a supervisor for children's library services at the Kern County Free Library.

Early Life and Education

Wilhelmina Harper was born on April 21, 1884. Her hometown was Farmington, Maine. Her parents were Professor William Harper and Bertha Tauber.

She went to college at Teachers College, Columbia University. She also studied at the New York State Library. This helped her learn how to be a great librarian.

A Career Helping Young Readers

Wilhelmina Harper started her library career in 1908. She worked as a children's librarian in New York City. She worked at the Queens Borough Public Library. There, she led fun story hours for kids. She also visited schools to talk about books. She taught students how to use the library. Wilhelmina even started book clubs for boys and girls.

During World War I, she helped soldiers. In 1918, she worked at a library for soldiers in New York. In 1919, she went overseas to France. She organized libraries for the Young Men's Christian Association. In 1920, she worked for the American Red Cross in Chicago.

Wilhelmina worked as a children's librarian in New York for ten years. In 1921, she moved to California. She worked in libraries in Bakersfield, California, and Redwood City, California. She became the Supervisor of children's work for the Kern County Free Library. In 1929, she taught a summer class. It was about children's literature and storytelling. She retired from her library work in 1954.

Wilhelmina Harper's Books

Wilhelmina Harper was also a very successful author. She wrote many books in the 1930s and 1940s. She published over 40 collections of stories for children and young adults. Some of her popular books include:

• Around the hearth fire, stories of favorite holidays selected from the Youth's companion (1931)
• Boys' Stories from the Youth's Companion
• Down in Dixie, stories from the South Central States (1940)
• Easter chimes: stories for Easter and the spring season (1942)
• Fillmore Folk Tales
• Ghosts and Goblins: Stories for Hallowe'en and Other Times (1936)
• Girl of Tiptop: and other stories (1929)
• Girls' Stories from the Youth's Companion
• The Gunniwolf, and other merry tales (Illustrated by Barbara Upton in 1918, Illustrated by Kate Seredy in 1935)
• The harvest feast: stories of Thanksgiving yesterday and today (1938)
• A Little Book of Necessary Ballads (Illustrated by Helen B. Evers in 1930)
• The Lonely Little Pig and other animal tales (1939)
• The Magic Fairy Tales
• Merry Christmas to you: stories for Christmas (1935)
• Off Duty
• The selfish giant and other stories (1935)
• Stories of the old West (1940)
• Story Hour Favorites
• Treasure Trails (a series of four school readers)
• Uncle Sam's story book : adventures of yesterday's boys and girls (1940)
• Where the redbird flies: stories from the southeastern states (1946)
• Winding roads (1928)
• Wings of Courage: And Other Stories for Girl Scouts (1941)

She also wrote articles about library work. Wilhelmina was a member of the American Library Association. She was also part of the California Library Association.

Personal Life and Legacy

Wilhelmina Harper lived in New York City for a while. Then she moved to California in 1921. She lived in Bakersfield, California.

She passed away on December 23, 1973. She is buried at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto, California. Wilhelmina Harper left a legacy of helping children discover the joy of reading.