author
Ruth Sawyer Harvey
1876–1977
A gifted American storyteller and children's author, she helped bring oral storytelling into libraries and classrooms and won the 1937 Newbery Medal for Roller Skates. Her work is remembered for its warmth, folk roots, and deep belief in the power of stories told aloud.
1 Audiobook
Drainage modifications and glaciation in the Danbury region, Connecticut
by Ruth Sawyer Harvey
About the author
Born in Boston in 1880 and raised in New York, she became one of the most influential storytellers in American children's literature. She studied at Columbia University and is known for starting one of the first storytelling programs for children at the New York Public Library.
She wrote fiction and nonfiction for both children and adults, but her best-known book is Roller Skates, which won the Newbery Medal in 1937. Her writing often drew on folklore, family stories, and the rhythms of spoken storytelling, giving her books an intimate, welcoming feel.
Over a long career, she remained a strong advocate for storytelling as a living art rather than just something found on the page. She later received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her lasting contribution to children's literature, and her books continue to be valued for their charm, imagination, and love of tradition.