Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856–1923,) née Smith, was an American author, educator, and advocate for children’s education. She is also known for her contributions to the kindergarten movement, which helped shape early childhood education in America.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she moved to Maine following her father’s death and later to California, where she embarked on her career in education and writing. Wiggin was a pioneer in early childhood education, founding the first free kindergarten in San Francisco in 1878.
Wiggin’s literary career began with her writing for children, blending her educational insights with engaging storytelling. Her most famous work, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1903,) became an instant success and remains a beloved classic in children’s literature. The novel tells the story of an imaginative and spirited young girl, Rebecca Rowena Randall, who brings joy and change to her austere aunts’ household.
Other notable works by Wiggin include The Birds’ Christmas Carol (1887,) a touching holiday story, and Mother Carey’s Chickens (1911,) a novel about a widowed mother and her children facing life’s challenges with resilience and love. She also co-authored the popular The Story of Patsy (1883) with her sister, Nora Archibald Smith. Her autobiography is My Garden of Memory (1923.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Kate Douglas Wiggin
Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends – but only one mother in the whole world.
—Kate Douglas Wiggin
Topics: Mothers
Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever fresh and radiant possibility.
—Kate Douglas Wiggin
Topics: Children
Leave a Reply