Rebecca Caudill
1899-1985
It might interest you to know that
current Portland Mayor
Ken Wilber is Rebecca Caudill's nephew!
Rebecca Caudill was born on February 2, 1899 in Harlan County,
Kentucky.
Her parents, George and Susan Caudill, were both teachers. Ms Caudill graduated
from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia in 1920. She received her masters degree
from Vanderbilt University in 1922. Ms Caudill taught
English and history from 1920-21 at Sumner County High School, Portland,
Tennessee. She also taught English at Collegio Bennett, Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil for two years. Later she worked as an editor for Methodist
Publishing House in Nashville, Tennessee.
In 1931, Miss Caudill married James Ayers. They have two children, John and
Rebecca.
In 1943, she published her first book for children, Barrie and Daughter,
which was a Junior Literary Guild Selection. She published 18 books for
children, one book of children's verse, and three other titles that include
My Appalachia: A Reminiscence.
Ms Caudill lived with her family in Urbana, Illinois, where she was a very
active in the community. She was the co-founder of the Champaign-Urbana Peace
Council; the originator of hospitality program for international students at
Wesleyan College and served on the board of trustees for Urbana Free Library and
the Pine Mountain Settlement School in Pine Mountain, Kentucky. She also
conducted and taught many writing workshops.
Ms Caudill won many awards and honors for her writing. Her children's books are
known for their authentic depictions of settings and characters, and for evoking
the lives of pioneers during the eighteenth-and nineteenth-century in America.
In, 1950, her book Tree of Freedom, was a runner-up for the
Newbery Medal. A Pocket Full of Crickets, illustrated by Evaline
Ness was named a Caldecott Medal Honor Book. Her books reflect her Appalachia
background, which served as inspiration for her writing.
Resources:
Collier, Laurie and Joyce Nakamura. Major Author and Illustrators for Children
and Young Adults. 6 vols. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993.
Commire, Anne. Something About the Author. 115 vols. Detroit: Gale Research
Inc., 1971.
