Katherine B. Shippen
Katherine B. Shippen was a prominent author known for her contributions to children's nonfiction, particularly in the field of history. Born on April 1, 1892, in Hoboken, New Jersey, she pursued higher education at Bryn Mawr College and Columbia University, culminating in a Master’s degree in 1929. Shippen spent a significant portion of her career teaching history at private schools before transitioning to writing in 1945, when she became the curator of social studies at the Brooklyn Children's Museum.
Her first book, "New Found World," which explores Latin American history, earned her recognition as a Newbery Honor Book in 1946. Shippen's works often focused on the themes of immigration and the cultural contributions of diverse communities in the United States, as exemplified in her award-winning book "Passage to America." She continued to write extensively about industrial history and notable figures in American history. Many of her books have been translated into multiple languages and distributed internationally. Shippen passed away on February 20, 1980, leaving behind a legacy of engaging historical narratives aimed at children, shaped by her own rich experiences and enthusiasm for education.
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Subject Terms
Katherine B. Shippen
Author
- Born: April 1, 1892
- Birthplace: Hoboken, New Jersey
- Died: February 20, 1980
- Place of death: Suffern, New York
Biography
A noted author of nonfiction for children, Katherine Binney Shippen was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on April 1, 1892. She was educated at Bryn Mawr College, receiving an A.B. in 1914, and at Columbia University, where she earned an M.A. in 1929. From 1920 to 1945, she taught history at private schools in New York and New Jersey.
In 1945, Shippen left teaching and became curator of social studies at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and began writing history books for children. Her first book, New Found World, is a history of Latin America, illustrating that the blend of native inhabitants and Spanish and Portuguese colonists created a wholly new culture. This book was chosen a Newbery Honor Book in 1946. With The Great Heritage, she began writing about the history of industry in the United States, a theme that she would sustain through several of her books.
Passage to America grew out of her work with children in Brooklyn, New York. She worked with African American children and children whose backgrounds were Irish, Russian, Polish, Italian, and Cuban. She wanted them to know more about immigration, why their parents had come to the United States, and what they had brought with them. This book won a Boys’ Clubs of America Junior Book Award in 1952. I Know a City: The Story of New York’s Growth continued her theme of the history of the city and its people. Another New York-based work for young people, The Pool of Knowledge: How the United Nations Share Their Skill, was revised and reprinted in 1965.
Miracle in Motion: The Story of America’s Industry appeared in 1955, as did the biography Mr. Bell Invents the Telephone, and Men, Microscopes, and Living Things, a volume of natural history that was a 1956 Newbery Honor Book. This Union Cause: The Growth of Organized Labor in America continued Shippen’s interest in the history of industry, along with the biographies Andrew Carnegie and the Age of Steel, and Milton S. Hershey. >Shippen’s later works include two books about archaeology: Portals to the Past: The Story of Archaeology and Men of Archaeology.
Several of Katherine Shippen’s books have been translated into Swedish, Polish, German, Spanish, and Greek, and six of her books were distributed in Asia, Africa, and Latin America by the United States Information Service.
Katherine Shippen died in Suffern, New York, on February 20, 1980. She wrote that her works for children grew out of her desire to share her own memories, experiences, and interests, surrounded and deepened by her excitement about the world and material uncovered through research.