Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Elizabeth Yates
Elizabeth Yates was an award-winning children's author who lived during the twentieth century. She often used her life experiences and interests as inspiration for her books. During Yates's writing career, which spanned over fifty years, she published more than fifty books. Many of her books are still enjoyed by readers today.
Yates was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1905. She was the sixth of seven children born to Harry and Mary Yates. They played a significant role in helping their daughter become a writer. Yates went to school from kindergarten through twelfth grade at Franklin School in Buffalo. Then she spent a year at a boarding school in Mamaroneck, New York.
From a young age, books were important to Yates. Her mother often read to the family. When Yates was an adult, she realized how much this influenced her life. Another influence for Yates was her father's farm. She loved summers at the farm and enjoyed the horses, cows, chickens, pigs, and dogs. It was her experiences on the farm that helped develop her love of nature and animals, something very evident in her books. Yates also grew up with a love for writing. When she was a child, she found an empty pigeon loft on the farm which became her secret writing place.
