From the cover of Nora Archibald Smith's book ''Boys and Girls of Bookland'' (1923), illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith Nora Archibald Smith (1859–1934) was an American children's author of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and sister of

Kate Douglas Wiggin Kate Douglas Wiggin (September 28, 1856August 24, 1923) was an American educator, author and composer. She wrote children's stories, most notably the classic children's novel ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,'' and composed collections of children's ...

. Nora and Kate co-authored and co-edited a series of children's books. Both sisters were active in the

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

movement that was developing at the turn of the twentieth century, and wrote repeatedly on the subject. They were admirers of

Friedrich Fröbel Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel or Froebel (; 21 April 1782 – 21 June 1852) was a German pedagogue, a student of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, who laid the foundation for modern education based on the recognition that children have unique need ...

and promoted his theories on early childhood education.

Biography

Early life

Nora Archibald Smith was the sister of

, known best for her novel ''

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' is a classic American 1903 children's novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin that tells the story of Rebecca Rowena Randall and her aunts, one stern and one kind, in the fictional village of Riverboro, Maine. Rebecca's joy ...

''. Both girls were born in Philadelphia to Robert Noah Smith and Helen Elizabeth (Dyer) Smith. Their father died shortly after Nora’s birth and their mother then moved the family to Portland, Maine. She soon remarried and the family moved into Nora and Kate’s stepfather’s (Dr. Albion Bradbury) house in

Hollis, Maine Hollis is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,745 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Hollis is a rural bedroom community of Portland, Maine, Portland and is part of the Portland–South Portland, Main ...

. It was in the farmhouse called “ Quillcote” that both Nora and Kate grew up and to which they would later retire.

California

In 1873, while Kate attended finishing school in Andover, Massachusetts, Dr. Bradbury moved the family to California. Kate opened the first free kindergarten west of the Rocky Mountains on Silver Street in San Francisco, California while Nora was teaching in the public schools of Tucson, Arizona. In 1877 Nora was awarded an

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from Santa Barbara College. In 1880 Nora and Kate founded the California Kindergarten Training School together and Nora received a certificate from the school in 1881. Nora then went on to become the superintendent of the free kindergarten on Silver Street and later to take over the running of the California Kindergarten Training School in 1889. Ms. Smith was president of the California Froebel Society, an executive member of the committee of the International Kindergarten Association, and the vice-president (1891-1892) of the kindergarten department of the National Education Association (Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1899). Nora Archibald Smith collaborated with her sister to write or edit fifteen books. Nora, a writer in her own right, also published many serial stories and academic journal articles on early childhood education. Two of Nora's poems ("Doll's Calendar" and "Feast of the Doll") were set to music by composer

Grace Chadbourne Grace Runnion Wassall Chadbourne (1870 – Jun 9, 1919) was an American composer, pianist, and singer. She married Joseph William Wassall in 1890 and they had two children, Ellen and LeRoy. After divorcing Wassall, she married Thomas Linco ...

Selected works

As sole writer

* ''The Children of the Future'' (1898) * ''The Kindergarten in a Nutshell: a handbook for the home'' (1899) * ''Under the Cactus Flag: a story of life in Mexico'' (1899) * ''The Message of Froebel and Other Essays'' (1900) * ''Three Little Marys'' (1902) * ''Nelson the Adventurer: a story for boys'' (1906) * ''The Adventures of a Doll'' (1907), illus. Dan Sayre Groesbeck * ''The Home-Made Kindergarten'' (1912) * ''Old, Old Tales from the Old, Old Book'' (1916) – Bible stories * ''Plays, Pantomimes, and Tableaux for Children'' (1917) * ''The Christmas Child'' (1920) * ''Boys and Girls of Bookland'' (1923), illus.

Jessie Willcox Smith Jessie Willcox Smith (September 6, 1863 – May 3, 1935) was an American illustrator during the Golden Age of American illustration. She was considered "one of the greatest pure illustrators". A contributor to books and magazines during the lat ...

* ''Action Poems and Plays for Children'' (1923) * ''Children of the Lighthouse'' (1924) * ''Kate Douglas Wiggin as Her Sister Knew Her'' (1925) * ''A Truly Little Girl'' (1927) * ''The Home-Made Kindergarten'', revised and enlarged (1928) * ''Bee of the Cactus Country'' (1932), illus.

Erick Berry Evangel Allena Champlin Best (January 4, 1892 – February 1974), better known by her pen name Erick Berry, was an American author, illustrator and editor. Early and personal life Berry was born on January 4, 1892, in New Bedford, Massachus ...

With Kate Douglas Wiggin

* ''The Story Hour: A book for the home and kindergarten'' (1890) * ''Children's Rights: A Book of Nursery Logic'' (1892) * ''The Republic of Childhood'', 3 vols. (1895, 1896) * ''Golden Numbers: a book of verse for youth'', eds. (1902) * ''The Posy Ring: a book of verse for children'', eds. (1903) – "companion volume" * ''The Fairy Ring'', eds. (1906) * ''Magic Casements: A Second Fairy Book'', eds. (1907) * ''Pinafore Palace: a book of rhymes for the nursery'', eds. (1907) * ''Tales of Laughter: A Third Fairy Book'', eds. (1908) * ''The Arabian Nights: their best-known tales'', eds. (1909), illustrated by

Maxfield Parrish Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustration, illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery. His ...

* ''Tales of Wonder: A Fourth Fairy Book'', eds. (1909) * ''The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom'', eds. (1911) * ''An Hour with the Fairies'' (1911) * ''Twilight Stories: More tales for the story hour'', eds. (1925) * ''A Thanksgiving Retrospect; or, Simplicity of Life in Old New England'' (1928) – revised ed. of a 1906 article by Wiggin Wiggin died in 1923 and the Library of Congress does not credit her as co-editor of ''Twilight Stories'' ().

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Nora Archibald 1859 births 1934 deaths American children's writers