author
Clara Doty Bates
1838–1895
Best remembered for graceful poems and books for young readers, this 19th-century American writer helped bring folklore, nursery rhymes, and gentle moral tales to a wide audience. Her work appeared in popular family magazines and reflected a warm, imaginative feeling for childhood.
1 Audiobook
On the Tree Top
by Clara Doty Bates
About the author
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on December 22, 1838, Clara Doty Bates became known as an American author and poet whose writing often centered on children. She published poetry and juvenile literature, and her work appeared in magazines including St. Nicholas, The Youth's Companion, and Golden Days for Boys and Girls.
She later lived in Chicago and married newspaperman Morgan Bates. Over the course of her career, she issued a number of books for young readers, including collections of verse and retellings such as Child-Lore, Aesop's Fables in Verse, and From Heart's Content. Some of her books were illustrated by her sister, a family connection that helped give her publications a distinctive charm.
Bates also took part in literary and cultural life beyond the page. She is remembered for organizing and managing the library in the Children's Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. She died in Chicago on October 14, 1895.