Ruth Sawyer
Ruth Sawyer (1880-1970) was an influential American author and storyteller known for her contributions to children's literature. Born in Boston and raised in New York City, she was the only daughter in a family of five. Sawyer pursued education at the Garland Kindergarten Training School and later graduated from Columbia University with degrees in folklore, storytelling, and education. Her early work included organizing kindergartens for orphans in Cuba after the Spanish-American War, where she began collecting local folklore.
Sawyer's storytelling career blossomed at the New York Public Library, where she shared her passion for narratives. She authored several notable books, including the semi-autobiographical novel *Roller Skates* (1936), which garnered the Newbery Medal in 1937. Her stories often featured characters facing adversity, showcasing cultural diversity and empathy. Sawyer also collected and retold folktales from various cultures, with works like *Journey Cake, Ho!*, illustrated by her son-in-law Robert McCloskey, winning the Caldecott Medal in 1953. Throughout her life, she received numerous accolades, including the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, reflecting her significant impact on children's literature and storytelling.
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Ruth Sawyer
Author
- Born: August 5, 1880
- Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
- Died: June 3, 1970
Biography
Ruth Sawyer was born on August 5, 1880, in Boston and grew up near Central Park on New York City’s Upper East Side. She was the youngest of five children and the only daughter born to Francis Milton Sawyer, an importer, and Ethelinda Smith Sawyer. Educated at a private school in New York, she then attended the Garland Kindergarten Training School in Boston for two years. After the Spanish-American War, she left Boston to help organize kindergartens for orphans in Cuba. Intrigued with local folklore, she collected Cuban stories, which won her a scholarship to Columbia University. She graduated with a degree in folklore and storytelling and a B.S. in education from Columbia’s Teachers College in 1904. During her twenties, she traveled throughout Ireland to collect folktales before returning to the United States to begin a storytelling career at the New York Public Library.
In 1911, she married Dr. Albert Durand, an ophthalmologist. They moved to Ithaca, New York, where they raised two children. She continued to collect and share stories even as she embarked on a career as a writer. One of her most popular novels, Roller Skates, was published in 1936 and reissued in the United Kingdom in 1964. It is largely autobiographical, sharing the adventures of Lucinda Wyman, an independent ten-year-old girl who explores the city on roller skates the summer her parents travel to Europe. Lucinda’s story continues in The Year of Jubilo, published in 1940. Daddles: The Story of a Plain Hound-Dog, published in 1964, also focuses on the Wyman family, but is intended for younger readers and shares Lucinda’s life prior to her summer excursion on roller skates. Sawyer’s other novels for children sympathetically portray characters struggling against poverty and other difficulties. Keen attention to detail and portrayal of ethnic characters made the stories engaging for her contemporary readers.
Sawyer also collected and retold folktales, including Picture Tales from Spain, published in 1936, and stories from Austria, Germany, Serbia, Hungary, and other countries. Journey Cake, Ho! is a retelling of the popular folktale of a pancake on the run. Her son-in-law, Robert McCloskey, illustrated the book, which won the Caldecott Medal in 1953.
Sawyer also received the Newbery Medal in 1937 for Roller Skates. In 1965, she received both the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, in honor of her many books and her work as a storyteller, and the Regina Award from the Catholic Library Association for her contribution to children’s literature. In May, 1965, a storytelling festival was held in her honor in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Sawyer’s experiences traveling to record and then share folklore are described in her book, The Way of the Storyteller (1942), still an influential guide for those interested in this art. Through her folklore collecting and storytelling, Sawyer made an important contribution to children’s literature.