Emily Paret Atwater (1873-1951)
Emily Paret Atwater took after he mother and fellow Club member, Adaline “Addie” Peck Paret Atwater, finding her niche in writing educational children’s stories during a time when women were creating places for themselves outside the domestic sphere and within the classroom. Her book How Sammy Went to Coral-Land demonstrates her ability to capture the attention of adventure-lovers who may have become tired of stereotypical fairy tales. The Tennessean newspaper praised the book as containing “useful information about marine creatures,” and the same approach can also be seen in Trixsey’s Travels, where each chapter opens with information about a new furry character that a little squirrel Trixsey meets as he goes about his day. Atwater’s writing was used as textbooks and readers in New England states, and was positively received by educational journals such as the Kindergarten Review.
Contributors
Megan Hultberg; Madeline Pikus