Stevenson, Augusta

Augusta Stevenson (1867–1935) was an American writer of children's literature. Public information about her is limited, and few details of her life survive, but her extant works show a lasting commitment to adapting and writing readers for elementary-school audiences. Her representative series, Children's Classics in Dramatic Form, retells classic stories as short plays suitable for children to perform, arranged by grade level; Book Two and the reader intended for fourth-grade pupils were the most widely circulated. She is also known for her series of biographical stories about the childhoods of famous Americans, in which she introduced historical figures to children through simple, lively narrative. On the whole, her writing emphasized readability and classroom usefulness, giving her a place in early American children's books and school reading instruction.