Shedlock was born in Boulogne, France of English parents; her father was an engineer helping to build a railroad.

Although she lived in England for a short time as a child, she returned to France, and ultimately went to Germany to complete her education.

Mary Wright Plummer, director of the Pratt Institute Library attended one of her public recitals and invited her to perform.

Anna Cogswell Tyler a student at Pratt heard Shedlock perform and decided to become a professional storyteller herself.

[2] Ruth Sawyer heard Shedlock reading the tales of Hans Christian Andersen at Columbia University.