She also helped develop Sesame Street while serving as a consultant to Children's Television Workshop, and she promoted activities to support literacy through libraries.
[8] The Library of Congress now houses Mathews papers from her time working at the National Book Committee.
[13] During the 1960s, Mathews created the children's TV series Reading Out Loud with Westinghouse Broadcasting executive Mike Santangelo.
Produced by Westinghouse for syndication, the show featured notable figures reading aloud their favorite books to children.
It debuted in February 1960 on the five TV stations owned by Westinghouse in Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco.
[14] Reading Out Loud also opened on WNTA-TV (now WNET-TV) in New York City and 46 educational TV stations around the U.S.
[15] Reading Out Loud featured guest appearances by:[16] Mathews was a lesbian and lived with her longtime partner, Virginia "Ginny" B. Huie (1920-2008).