Dorothy Rhoads

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Dorothy Rhoads
Born(1895-03-19)March 19, 1895
Illinois, USA
Died(1986-02-21)February 21, 1986
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Resting placeRock Island, Illinois, USA
OccupationAuthor
NationalityAmerican
GenreChildren's literature

Dorothy Rhoads (March 19, 1895 – February 21, 1986) was an American writer of children's literature. Her book The Corn Grows Ripe was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1953.[1]

Biography[edit]

Dorothy M. Rhoads was born in Illinois, March 19, 1895. She was the daughter of Franklin Koons and Frances May Cook Rhoads. She attended Wellesley College. Circa 1920, she and her younger sister, Frances, moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico; she would live there for the remainder of her life.[2]

Dorothy and Frances maintained a voluminous correspondence, and spent time together in Mexico. Dorothy's family had a Maya godchild, Dorita, who would appear as a character in Dorothy's writing.[3]

Rhoads wrote throughout her life, including diaries, short stories, and poetry.[4] Her only novel, The Corn Grows Ripe, was published in 1952. Kirkus Reviews, noting the book's Yucatan setting, opined that the novel "traces the influence of old legends in the present day."[5] It was named a Newbery Honor book in 1953.[1]

Rhoads died in 1986, at the age of 90. Although she died in Santa Fe, she was buried in the Chippiannock Cemetery in Rock Island, Illinois.[6] Her papers are held by the Brigham Young University Library[2][3] and the University of Minnesota Library.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922–Present". American Library Association. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Dorothy Rhoads personal papers, 1903-1986". BYU Library. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Dorothy Rhoads correspondence, 1888-1986". BYU Library. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  4. ^ Dorothy Rhoads papers, 1883-1979. WorldCat. OCLC 191816788. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  5. ^ "The Corn Grows Ripe". Kirkus Reviews. March 1, 1956. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  6. ^ "Dorothy M. Rhoads". FindAGrave.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  7. ^ "Dorothy Rhoads Collection". University of Minnesota Libraries. Retrieved December 16, 2020.