author
Arthur Bowie Chrisman
1889–1953
Best known for the Newbery Medal-winning Shen of the Sea, this Virginia-born writer brought Chinese-inspired tales to young readers with humor, drama, and a storyteller’s sense of pace. His work helped make folktale-style storytelling a memorable part of American children's literature.
1 Audiobook
Shen of the Sea: A Book for Children
by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
About the author
Born in Clarke County, Virginia, in 1889, Arthur Bowie Chrisman was an American writer who grew up with a one-room-school education and later studied at Virginia Polytechnic Institute before leaving during his sophomore year. He is most closely associated with writing for young readers, especially stories shaped by folklore and oral storytelling traditions.
His best-known book, Shen of the Sea, was published in 1925 as a collection of stories for children. The book won the 1926 Newbery Medal, one of the major honors in American children's literature, and remains the work most strongly linked to his name.
Chrisman died in 1953. While he is not as widely remembered today as some later children's authors, his place in literary history is secure through Shen of the Sea and its early Newbery recognition.