author
Elizabeth Coatsworth
1893–1986
A prizewinning American writer whose work ranged from poetry to fiction for both children and adults, she is best remembered for the Newbery Medal winner The Cat Who Went to Heaven. Her life of travel, curiosity, and close attention to nature gave her books a quiet sense of wonder.
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 fiction and poetry for children and adults. She studied at Vassar College and Columbia University, and early in her career published poetry before building a much broader body of work.
Her best-known book is The Cat Who Went to Heaven, which won the 1931 Newbery Medal. Over the years she wrote extensively across genres, and her work was often noted for its grace, imagination, and interest in places, animals, and everyday beauty.
Coatsworth was married to writer and naturalist Henry Beston and spent much of her later life in Maine. She died on August 31, 1986, leaving behind a large and varied body of writing that continues to appeal to readers who enjoy gentle storytelling and lyrical prose.