Mabel Louise Robinson (July 19, 1874 – February 21, 1962) was an American writer of

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

. She was passionate about writing books for young adults. Her "primary goal in life as towrite books for young women, showcasing the protagonists worth, intelligence, and sensitivity".Cameron, Ann M. “Mabel Louise Robinson.” Guide to Literary Masters & Their Works; January 2007, p1-1. EBSCOhost: Web. 13 November 2011. Robinson reached her goal by “bring ngrealistic and believable young adult problems to modern girl readers looking not only for excitement and fun but for honestly and reality as well. Additionally,… hecreated vivid characters with whom girls could easily identify ”.BookRags. Dictionary of Literary Biography on Mabel Louise Robinson, n.d. Web. 13 Nov.2011 Robinson was a runner-up for the annual

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

twice.

Early life and education

Mabel Louise Robinson was born and raised in

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the Technological and industrial history of the United States, American Industrial Revoluti ...

. She was the daughter of James Frank and Mary Anna Dean Robinson.Kunitz, S. J., & Haycraft, H. “Mabel Louise Robinson.” The Junior Book of Authors. 2nd ed. 1951. Print. Robinson graduated high school and attended

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

from 1904 to 1906. While teaching at various colleges, Robinson worked on completing her master's degree (1907) and Ph.D (1915) at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in New York City.

Career

After graduating high school, Robinson became an elementary school teacher.Kunitz, S. J., & Haycraft, H. (Eds.). (1951). Mabel Louise Robinson. In The junior book of authors (2nd ed., rev.) (pp. 256-257). New York: The H. W. Wilson Company. Robinson taught at a number of colleges and universities throughout her career. At

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson College, and a campus of M ...

, she taught Zoology from 1904 to 1906. For twenty-six years (1919 to 1945) she taught advanced fiction writing workshops at

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

.“Mabel Louise Robinson.” Gale Literary Databases: Contemporary Authors. Web. 13 November 2011. Although she taught a variety of subjects, she is probably best known for her classes at Columbia University. While she was at Columbia, she taught a workshop that resulted in the publication of over two hundred books. Robinson also taught at

Constantinople College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( or ), often abbreviated as Robert or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational, Education in Turkey#Private schools, private Second ...

Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With a population over , it is home to 18% of the population of Turkey. Istanbul is among the largest cities in Europe and in th ...

. She conducted research for the Carnegie Foundation in New York City. Robinson was the author of children's books, frequently featuring dogs. Robinson contributed short stories to periodicals including Delineator, Portal, ''

St. Nicholas Magazine ''St. Nicholas'' was a popular monthly American children's magazine, founded by Scribner's in 1873 and named after the Christian saint. The first editor was Mary Mapes Dodge, who continued her association with the magazine until her death in 1 ...

'', and ''

The Youth's Companion ''The Youth's Companion'' (1827–1929), known in later years as simply ''The Companion—For All the Family'', was an American children's magazine that existed for over one hundred years until it finally merged with '' The American Boy'' in 19 ...

''. Two of her books were designated Newbery Honor books by the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

. She felt that writing interesting books for young people was far more important than even obtaining her doctorate teacher. Although Robinson wrote books for young readers and adults her passion laid in writing books for young female readers. She also believed that her most important responsibility as an author was to teach others to write. Robinson taught advanced writing classes for over twenty-five years at Columbia University and took great pride in her students accomplishments. Robinson “breathed life into a coastal area of Maine” and also had an interest in dogs and zoology. She used these two different influences to develop “young female characters who ventured beyond their isolated childhoods into the wider world, often to return to their childhood home with a renewed appreciation”. Books about dogs include ''Dr. Tam O’Shanter'' (1921), Stories that appeared in ''

'', ''Robin and Tito'' (1931), ''Robin and Angus'' (1931), and ''Robin and Heather'' (1932).

Personal life

She taught creative writing at the Ivy League institution,

with her lifelong partner,

Helen Rose Hull Helen Rose Hull (March 28, 1888 – July 15, 1971) was born in Albion, Michigan, Albion, Michigan. She is remembered as a novelist, feminist, and English professor. Beginning her teaching career at Wellesley College and Barnard College, sh ...

. Robinson died February 21, 1962.

Cultural impact

As a well-known author, Newbery runner-up and instructor of many successful authors, Robinson made an impact with both her work and her teaching. Many of Robinson's books have been used in elementary schools. Grade school teachers use her stories to enhance their subjects. In a forum dedicated to education, one teacher recommends the book ''King Arthur and his Knights'' to other teachers as a good read for classes studying medieval times. Being well known for her children's books and teachings in writing classes, Robinson's how-to books for writing are also very popular. This is especially denoted as Christian author Perry Thomas gives tips to young writers and says that “The best book on writing I've ever used is ''Writing for Young People'' by Mabel Louise Robinson”. Her career in teaching has also led many of her students to produce successful books. She taught

Walter Farley Walter Farley (born Walter Lorimer Farley, 26 June 1915 – 16 October 1989) was an American author, primarily of horse stories for children. His first and most famous work was ''The Black Stallion'' (1941), the success of which led to many ...

, author of

The Black Stallion The Black Stallion is the name of a bestselling series of books by Walter Farley, and also the name of the first book in the series (from 1941), and the title character, an Arab stallion also known as the Black or Shêtân. The series chroni ...

, a long series of well known children's books. She also taught Ann Petry, author of The Street (1946), the first novel by an African-American woman to sell more than a million copies. She has also made an impact in the state of

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. By basing many of her books there, Robinson has made herself well known in the area. When books about Maine are searched her children's novels such as ''Bright Island'' and ''Strong Winds'' show up.

Selected works

* ''Dr. Tom O’Shanter'', Dutton (New York, NY), 1921 * ''Little Lucia'', Dutton (New York, NY), 1922 * ''Juvenile Story Writing'', Dutton (New York, NY), 1922 * ''Little Lucia and Her Puppy'', Dutton (New York, NY), 1923 * ''Little Lucia’s Island Camp'', Dutton (New York, NY), 1924 * ''Little Lucia’s School'', illustrated by Sophia T. Balcom, Dutton (New York, NY), 1926 * (With Helen Rose Hull) ''Creative Writing: The Story Form'', American Book Co. (New York, NY), 1932 * '' Bright Island'', illustrated by

Lynd Ward Lynd Kendall Ward (June 26, 1905 – June 28, 1985) was an American artist and novelist, known for his series of wordless novels using wood engraving, and his illustrations for juvenile and adult books. His wordless novels have influenced ...

, Random House (New York, NY), 1937. — a

runner-up * '' Runner of the Mountain Tops: The Life of Louis Agassiz'', illustrated by Ward, Random House (New York, NY), 1939. — a Newbery runner-upMead, Aaron and Angela Mead. Children’s Books and Reviews. 2011. Web. 14 November 2011 * ''Bitter Forfeit'', Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis, IN), 1947 * ''Writing for Young People'', Nelson (New York, NY), 1950 * ''Skipper Riley, the Terrier Sea Dog'', illustrated by Shortall, Random House (New York, NY), 1955 * ''Riley Goes to Obedience School'', illustrated by Shortall, Random House (New York, NY), 1956

References

External links

* http://www.bookrags.com/biography/mabel-louise-robinson-dlb/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20121022182442/http://www.unc.edu/~bflorenc/libraryladies/robinson.html
Mabel Robinson
at

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Authorities — with 33 catalog records
Finding aid to Mabel Louise Robinson papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Mabel 1874 births 1962 deaths 20th-century American women writers American children's writers Columbia University alumni Newbery Honor winners Writers from Massachusetts Radcliffe College alumni Place of death missing American women children's writers People from Waltham, Massachusetts American LGBTQ writers LGBTQ people from Massachusetts