17 Facts About Doris Gates

Doris Gates was one of America's first writers of realistic children's fiction.

Doris Gates's novel Blue Willow, about the experiences of Janey Larkin, the ten-year-old daughter of a migrant farm worker in 1930s California, is a Newbery Honor book and Lewis Carroll Shelf Award winner.

Doris Gates is known for her collections of Greek mythology.

Doris Gates was born on November 26,1901, in Mountain View, California, the oldest daughter of Charles Obed and Bessie Louise Gates.

Doris Gates's father was a small-town doctor; her mother had a BA from Milton College in classical studies.

Doris Gates then became the assistant in the children's department of the Fresno County Free Library.

Doris Gates returned to Fresno to work as the children's librarian at the Fresno County Library in central California from 1930 to 1940.

Doris Gates visited the schools erected for the children of workers displaced by the Dust Bowl, telling stories and sharing books.

Budget constraints caused the library to cut back its hours, so Doris Gates used her extra day off to begin writing.

Doris Gates's first published book, Sarah's Idea, is about a girl who wants to buy a burro and helps with the harvest on her family's prune ranch to earn the money she needs.

Also in 1940, Doris Gates began working for San Jose State College, teaching children's literature and storytelling.

Doris Gates was a visiting lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Southern California, Los Angeles; and the University of San Francisco.

Doris Gates spoke around the country to groups of librarians and teachers.

In 1971 and 1972 Doris Gates made two trips to Greece, in preparation for a series of books retelling Greek mythology.

Doris Gates died in Carmel, California, on September 3,1987.

Doris Gates' papers are held at the University of Oregon and the University of Minnesota.

Doris Gates' work was appreciated especially for its characterization and sense of place.