She was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and wrote more than thirty children's books, her most famous being for the "Childhood of Famous Americans" series and five volumes of "Children's Classics in Dramatic Form.
The series began in 1932 with Abraham Lincoln, concentrating on his boyhood with a mix of fact and fictional episodes, aimed at children aged 8–12.
Other authors were brought in, including Helen Monsell; the books continued to sell well, and were translated and widely used in schools.
It included stories from Aesop, Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, and the 1001 Arabian Nights.
[10] Harrap's Dramatic Readers, Book III, published 1911, mainly drew on folklore such as "The Ugly Duckling", "The Crow and the Fox", and "The Emperor's Test".