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LeClaire Gowans Alger

ルクレア・ゴーウァンズ・アルジャー

LeClaire Gowans Alger

Aliases: Leclaire Alger
Pen Names: Sorche Nic Leodhas（Pseudonym used when collecting and retelling Scottish oral tales）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1898-05-20 （Youngstown, Ohio, United States）
Died
1969-11-14 （Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, United States） age 71
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Pittsburgh (1915–1921, returned 1925–) → New York City (1921–1925) → Wilkinsburg (later years)

Career

Occupations
librarian, children's author, folk-tale collector
Active Years
1915-1969

Education

Carnegie Library School (Pittsburgh)
Period: 1920年代（卒業 1929）
Year of Graduation: 1929
Country: United States
Homeschooled as a child. Completed library training program in 1929.

Awards

Harper's Typographical Prize
1942
Result: 受賞
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
1962
Result: 受賞
Newbery Honor
1963
Work: Thistle and Thyme (editor)
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), ALA
Result: 受賞（オナー）
Caldecott Medal
1966
Work: Always Room for One More
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), ALA
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Jan and the Wonderful Mouth Organ

1939 Children's literature

A children's story; one of the author's early works for young readers.

growing upmusic

Dougal's Wish

1942 Children's literature

A 1942 children's story.

wishadventure

Thistle and Thyme (editor)

1962 Folktale collection / Children's literature

A collection of Scottish tales and legends edited by Alger; received a Newbery Honor.

Scottish folktalestradition

Always Room for One More

1965 Children's picture book

A warm, folktale-style picture book with Scottish elements. Illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian; won the 1966 Caldecott Medal.

familyhospitalitycommunity

Ghosts Go Haunting

1965 Children's folktale collection

A collection of Scottish ghost stories and supernatural tales.

ghostssupernatural

Bibliography

  • Jan and the Wonderful Mouth Organ (1939)
  • Dougal's Wish (1942)
  • The Golden Summer (1942)
  • Heather and Broom: Tales of the Scottish Highland (ed., 1961)
  • Thistle and Thyme: Tales and Legends from Scotland (ed., 1962)
  • All in the Morning Early (1963)
  • Gaelic Ghosts: Tales of the Supernatural from Scotland (1963)
  • Ghosts Go Haunting (1965)
  • Always Room for One More (1965)
  • Claymore and Kilt: Tales of Scottish Kings and Castles (1967)
  • Sea-Spell and Moor-Magic: Tales of the Western Isles (1968)
  • By Loch and by Lin: Tales from Scottish Ballads (1969)
  • The Laird of Cockpen (1969)
  • Twelve Great Black Cats, and Other Eerie Scottish Tales (1971; posthumous completion)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Plain, oral-storytelling style suitable for reading aloudAdaptation and concise retelling of folktales
Recurring Motifs
ghosts and the supernaturalcastles and Highland landscapesfamily and hospitalitymusic and song

Legacy

LeClaire Gowans Alger (pen name Sorche Nic Leodhas) is known for collecting and retelling Scottish oral folktales for children. Her long career as a librarian and multiple honors (including a Newbery Honor and association with a Caldecott Medal) make her an important mid-20th-century contributor to children's folktale retellings.

Trivia

  • Her legal name was LeClaire Gowans Alger; she used the pen name Sorche Nic Leodhas for retelling Scottish folktales.
  • She worked in libraries from 1915 until her retirement in 1966, after which she concentrated on collecting and publishing folktales.
  • The 1965 picture book Always Room for One More, illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian, is associated with the 1966 Caldecott Medal.
  • Some unfinished manuscripts were completed and published posthumously by her great-niece in 1971.