author
Elizabeth Coatsworth
1893–1986
A graceful, wide-ranging American writer, she brought both poetry and storytelling to readers of all ages. Best known for the Newbery Medal winner The Cat Who Went to Heaven, she wrote with curiosity, warmth, and a strong sense of place.
1 Audiobook
The cat who went to heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
About the author
Born in Buffalo, New York, on May 31, 1893, Elizabeth Coatsworth became a prolific American author of poetry and fiction for both children and adults. She studied at Vassar College and later earned a master's degree from Columbia University, and her early travels in Asia helped shape the thoughtful, observant quality of her writing.
Her most famous book, The Cat Who Went to Heaven, won the 1931 Newbery Medal and remains a classic of children's literature. Over a long career, she published dozens of books, moving easily between poems, novels, and nature writing.
Coatsworth was married to writer and naturalist Henry Beston, and much of her life was connected with Maine, a landscape that influenced her work. She died on August 31, 1986, leaving behind a body of writing known for its gentleness, imagination, and quiet intelligence.