author
Sarah Elizabeth Birdsall Otis
1872–1940
A writer of fairy tales, poems, and plays who also threw her energy into public life, she moved with ease between imaginative storytelling and real-world reform. Her work sits at an unusual crossroads of children's literature, women's suffrage, and early Girl Scout history.
1 Audiobook
Six giants and a griffin, and other stories
by Sarah Elizabeth Birdsall Otis
About the author
Born on June 25, 1872, in Bellport, Long Island, Sarah Elizabeth Birdsall Otis later became better known as Sarah Birdsall Otis Edey after her marriage. She was an American author remembered for writing stories, poetry, and plays, including Six Giants and a Griffin, and Other Stories.
She was also active far beyond the page. Reliable biographical sources describe her as a suffragist who held leadership roles in county and state organizations in New York, helping advance the campaign for women's voting rights in the years before suffrage was won.
After that victory, she became closely involved with the Girl Scouts and is remembered as an early organizer and later a national president of the organization. She died on March 17, 1940, leaving behind a life that joined literary work with civic commitment.