"Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever-fresh and radiant possibility."— Kate Douglas Wiggin
Kate Douglas Wiggin
The teacher who wrote Rebecca
Kate Douglas Smith was born in Philadelphia and grew up in rural Maine. Her father died when she was young, and her mother remarried a small-town doctor. Kate grew up surrounded by country children and country landscape, the kind of world she'd later put in her books.
As a young woman, Kate moved to California with her family and trained to become one of the very first kindergarten teachers in America. (Kindergarten was a brand-new German idea then.) In 1878, at 22, she opened the first free kindergarten west of the Mississippi River in San Francisco's poorest neighborhood.
Quick Facts
- Born: September 28, 1856
- From: Philadelphia (raised in Maine), USA
- Job: Kindergarten teacher & writer
- Famous for: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Kate didn't just teach kindergarten, she helped invent how it works in America. The free kindergarten she started in San Francisco was a model that schools across the country copied.
Her Famous Stories
Read Wiggin's stories on Worldly
Wiggin's stories are gentle, warm, and full of country life. On Worldly, every page is adapted to your reading level.
1903Rebecca Randall, age 10, is sent from her crowded country home to live with two strict aunts. She talks too much, dreams too big, and slowly wins over everyone in town.
1887A gentle Christmas tale that became a holiday favorite. Short and tender.
Her Life, Year by Year
From Maine to California to literary fame
Wiggin's life mixed teaching, writing, travel, and music. She made each one count.
Born in Philadelphia
Kate Douglas Smith is born in Philadelphia.
She starts a free kindergarten
At 22, Kate opens the first free kindergarten west of the Mississippi River, in San Francisco's poorest neighborhood. The school becomes a national model.
She marries Samuel Wiggin
Kate marries Samuel Wiggin, a lawyer. She becomes Kate Douglas Wiggin.
She starts publishing stories
Kate writes The Story of Patsy as a fundraiser for her kindergarten. Then The Birds' Christmas Carol. The stories sell well enough that she becomes a real author.
Samuel dies
Samuel Wiggin dies suddenly. Kate is widowed at 33.
She marries again
Kate marries George Christopher Riggs. They split time between New York and a country home in Maine.
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Kate publishes Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, her most famous novel. It sells over a million copies.
She dies in England
Kate dies at 66 while visiting England. She is remembered both for her books and for the kindergarten movement she helped build.
Two Big Things She Did
Teaching AND writing
Most famous writers do one thing. Kate Wiggin did two big ones that both lasted.
Education
She helped invent free kindergarten
At 22, Kate opened the first free kindergarten west of the Mississippi. It served kids in San Francisco's poorest neighborhoods. The model spread across the country.
Rebecca · 1903
A spirited country girl
Rebecca Randall is 10 years old, sent away from her crowded country family to live with two strict aunts in a quiet New England town. She bounces, she talks too much, and she changes everyone around her.
Music
She wrote songs too
Kate was a trained musician and wrote songs and arrangements for her kindergarten classes. Some of her children's songs were still used in schools for decades.
Wait… really?!
Six surprising things about Kate Douglas Wiggin
She founded a kindergarten at 22
Kate started the first free kindergarten west of the Mississippi River in San Francisco when she was just 22 years old. The school became a model copied across the country.
She wrote stories to fund her school
Kate's first published book, The Story of Patsy, was written specifically to raise money for her kindergarten. She kept writing for years before her books made her famous.
Rebecca sold over a million copies
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm was one of the bestselling American novels of its time. It was adapted into plays, silent films, and a famous Shirley Temple movie.
She married twice
Kate's first husband Samuel Wiggin died young. She remarried George Riggs but kept the Wiggin name for her writing because that was already her famous name.
She helped invent the kindergarten movement
Kate co-wrote one of the first major American books on early-childhood education with her sister Nora. It shaped how kindergartens were run across the country.
She loved Maine
Even after she became famous and lived in New York, Kate spent most summers at her country home in Maine. Her Rebecca stories are set in a town very much like the one she loved.
Good questions, answered
Kate Douglas Wiggin FAQ
What does the H. stand for in 'Eleanor H. Porter'?+
That's a different writer, Kate Douglas Wiggin doesn't have an H. The 'Douglas' is her middle name, from her family. She was born Kate Douglas Smith and became Kate Douglas Wiggin when she married.
What's the Rebecca movie people remember?+
The 1938 movie starring Shirley Temple, one of the most famous child actors ever. It made the book even more famous than it already was. There's also a silent film version from 1917.
Did she really start a kindergarten?+
Yes! At age 22, Kate opened the first free kindergarten west of the Mississippi River in San Francisco's poorest neighborhood. It became a national model. She also helped train new kindergarten teachers and wrote books on early-childhood education.
What age is Rebecca good for?+
Rebecca works as a read-aloud from age 6, and as a chapter book from age 8. The Worldly version is adapted to fit each reader's level.
Is Rebecca a sequel?+
Yes, kind of. Kate wrote a sequel called New Chronicles of Rebecca (1907) with more stories from the same character. And many years later she wrote The Story of Waitstill Baxter and other books set in similar small-town New England.
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