author
Mary Elting
1906–2005
A longtime writer and editor, she created lively nonfiction and picture books for children, including the beloved alphabet game Q Is for Duck. Her career stretched across decades and often intersected with family collaborations and a deep curiosity about how things work.
3 Audiobooks
About the author
Born on June 21, 1906, Mary Elting was an American children's author who spent much of her life writing for young readers. Records from library and archival sources also note that she used pseudonyms including Campbell Tatham and Davis Cole, and that she died on January 29, 2005.
Archival and biographical sources describe a career that combined writing and editorial work. After a period of study in France, she worked for many years writing children's books and editing for book and magazine publishers. Her books ranged from playful picture books to fact-filled titles for young readers, with subjects including animals, history, science, and everyday machines.
She is especially remembered for Q Is for Duck: An Alphabet Guessing Game, a book that stayed popular with generations of children. Mary Elting also collaborated within a family of writers, including her husband, Franklin Folsom, and later Michael Folsom, leaving behind a wide and varied body of work for young readers.