author

G. Ellingwood (Grace Ellingwood) Rich

1872–1959

Best known for early-20th-century craft books for children, this American writer and art teacher turned ordinary household materials into imaginative play. Her work has a warm, practical spirit that still feels inviting today.

1 Audiobook

When mother lets us make paper box furniture : A book which shows children just how to make most attractive toy furniture out of materials which cost practically nothing--toys which give as much pleasure as those from expensive toy shops

When mother lets us make paper box furniture : A book which shows children just how to make most attractive toy furniture out of materials which cost practically nothing--toys which give as much pleasure as those from expensive toy shops

by G. Ellingwood (Grace Ellingwood) Rich

About the author

Born in 1872, Grace Ellingwood Rich wrote as G. Ellingwood Rich. Reliable catalog and reference records identify her as an American author, illustrator, and teacher, and her surviving books show a clear focus on hands-on creativity for children.

Rich graduated from SUNY Oswego in the class of 1895 and later had a career teaching art. Her name is especially linked with craft-based instruction: When Mother Lets Us Make Paper Box Furniture was published in 1914, and contemporary editions describe her as a teacher of art and manual training at the Brooklyn Training School for Teachers. The book was also illustrated by Rich herself.

She is remembered for encouraging ingenuity through simple making. Her best-known books invite children to build toys and dollhouse furniture from inexpensive everyday materials, combining practical instruction with a playful, inventive spirit.