Doris Gates

Doris Gates (November 26, 1901 – September 3, 1987) was one of America's first writers of realistic children's fiction. Her novel Blue Willow, about the experiences of Janey Larkin, the ten-year-old daughter of a migrant farm worker in 1930s California, is a Newbery Honor book and Lewis Carroll Shelf Award winner. A librarian in Fresno, California, Gates lived and worked among the people described in her novels. She is also known for her collections of Greek mythology.

Life

Doris Gates was born on November 26, 1901, in Mountain View, California, the oldest daughter of Charles Obed and Bessie Louise (Jones) Gates. Her father was a small-town doctor; her mother had a BA from Milton College in classical studies. Later the Gates family moved to Los Gatos. After graduating from high school, Gates found work in a library and a grocery store. Her father then moved the family to Fresno, and in 1924 she enrolled in Fresno State Teachers College.

While in Fresno, Gates had a radio program telling stories to children. She also visited the schools erected for the children of workers displaced by the Dust Bowl, telling stories and sharing books. Budget constraints caused the library to cut back its hours, so Gates used her extra day off to begin writing. Her first published book, Sarah's Idea (1938), is about a girl who wants to buy a burro and helps with the harvest on her family's prune ranch to earn the money she needs. Two years later Blue Willow, a book about the daughter of a migrant farmer like those she worked with, appeared. Also in 1940, Gates began working for San Jose State College, teaching children's literature and storytelling.

Gates was a visiting lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Southern California, Los Angeles; and the University of San Francisco. She also spoke around the country to groups of librarians and teachers. In the 1960s she worked for the textbook publishers Ginn and Company editing the Ginn Basic Readers, a series of reading textbooks for elementary schools. Married and later divorced, she moved to Carmel, where she bought and rode horses. The children's room at the Central Fresno Library has been named the Doris Gates Room in her honor. Gates' papers are held at the University of Oregon and the University of Minnesota.

Influence

Blue Willow was a ground-breaking children's novel. "Many consider Blue Willow to have been the first realistic, problem novel for children, and it was recognized both for its lasting literary merit and for its expansion of the range of subjects which could be explored in books for children." Children's literature expert Anita Silvey says its realistic handling of modern social issues is a "significant contribution to children's literature".

Awards and reception

Several of Gates' books were recognized with awards. Blue Willow was one runner-up for the annual Newbery Medal, was named to the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list in 1961, and was named one of the Best Books of the Year by Horn Book Magazine. It also won the silver Commonwealth Club of California Book Award. Sarah's Idea and The Cat and Mrs. Cary were also named Horn Book Best Books of the Year,

Gates' work was appreciated especially for its characterization and sense of place. Twentieth-Century Children's Writers praises her use of traditional story elements and strong sense of structure. According to another reviewer "Gates writes with integrity, combining strength of story line with well-developed characters, authentic settings, and themes of consequence." The reviewer goes on to say her excellent characterization and sensitivity toward her characters make her books "a solid contribution to American children's literature".

Selected works

Children's novels Sarah's Idea, Viking Press, 1938 (illustrated by Marjorie Torrey) Blue Willow, Viking Press, 1940 (illustrated by Paul Lantz) Sensible Kate, Viking Press, 1943 (illustrated by Marjorie Torrey) Trouble for Jerry, Viking Press, 1944 (illustrated by Marjorie Torrey) North Fork, Viking Press, 1945 (illustrated by Wesley Dennis) My Brother Mike, Viking Press, 1948 (illustrated by Wesley Dennis) River Ranch, Viking Press, 1949 (illustrated by Jacob Landau) Little Vic, Viking Press, 1951 (illustrated by Kate Seredy) Becky and the Bandit, Ginn & Co., 1955 (illustrated by Paul Lantz) The Cat and Mrs. Cary, Viking Press, 1962 (illustrated by Peggy Bacon (US) and Shirley Hughes (UK)) The Elderberry Bush, Viking Press, 1967 (illustrated by Lilian Obligado) A Morgan for Melinda, Viking Press, 1980 A Filly for Melinda, Viking Press, 1984

Myths and legends Lord of the Sky: Zeus, Viking Press, 1972 (illustrated by Robert Handville) The Warrior Goddess: Athena, Viking Press, 1972 (illustrated by Don Bolognese) The Golden God: Apollo, Viking Press, 1973 (illustrated by Constantinos Coconis) Two Queens of Heaven: Aphrodite and Demeter, Viking Press, 1974 (illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman) The Mightiest of Mortals: Hercules, Viking Press, 1975 (illustrated by Richard Cuffari) A Fair Wind for Troy, Viking Press, 1976 (illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak)

Textbooks Roads to Everywhere, Ginn, 1961; Trails to Treasure, Ginn, 1961; Wings to Adventure, Ginn, 1961; Along Story Trails, Ginn, 1962; Down Story Roads, Ginn, 1962; On Story Wings, Ginn, 1962.