author
Elsie Duncan Yale
1873–1956
A versatile early-20th-century writer, she created lively plays, songs, and practical books for children and families. Her work has a warm, upbeat spirit, with a special gift for entertainment meant to be read aloud or performed.
4 Audiobooks
A Day at Camp Killkare; Or, Aunt Jane and the Campfire Girls
by Elsie Duncan Yale
When Mother Lets Us Give a Party A book that tells little folk how best to entertain and amuse their little friends
by Elsie Duncan Yale
The Two Christmas Boxes: A Play for Girls
by Elsie Duncan Yale
The Inventor. Introducing the Wishing Box. A Christmas Play
by Elsie Duncan Yale
About the author
Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1873, Elsie Duncan Yale wrote for children, churches, and community performers. Reliable catalog and reference sources connect her with a wide range of titles, including When Mother Lets Us Give a Party, A Day at Camp Killkare, The Inventor, and The Two Christmas Boxes.
She also published under several pen names, including Grace Gordon, and contributed lyrics and texts used in hymnals and Sunday school music collections. That mix of storytelling, pageantry, and musical writing helps explain the cheerful, stage-friendly tone found in much of her work.
Yale died in 1956. Although she is not widely known today, her books and plays still offer a clear picture of an author who wrote with energy, practicality, and a strong sense of fun for young readers and amateur performers.