B. (Bertha) Johnston

Born in 1864, Bertha Johnston was an American writer and educator whose career was closely tied to the growth of kindergarten teaching in the United States. As a child, she was already writing—an early piece of hers, The White Horse, was printed when she was about eight or nine years old.

She later graduated from Framingham Normal School in Massachusetts in 1885 and went on to study at the Chicago Kindergarten Institute. By 1897 she had become editor of Kindergarten Magazine, a role that placed her at the center of conversations about early childhood education.

Johnston is remembered for books such as Home Occupations for Boys and Girls and Eat and Grow Fat. Her writing is practical and direct, especially in work for families and teachers, and it reflects a strong interest in children’s activity, health, and everyday learning.