Katherine Binney Shippen (April 1, 1892 â February 20, 1980) was an American history teacher, museum curator, and children's writer.
Shippen was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on April 1, 1892, to Francis and Ellen Shippen. She earned a B.A. degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1914 and an M.A. from Columbia University in 1929.
While studying for her master's degree, Shippen taught history at the Beard School (now Morristown-Beard School) in Orange, New Jersey (1917âÂÂ26) and then at The Brearley School in Manhattan borough (1926âÂÂ35). She then served as the headmistress at Miss Fine's School (now Princeton Day School) in Princeton, New Jersey, for the next nine years. In 1945, the Brooklyn Children's Museum named Shippen curator of the social studies department. In the same year, she published her first book, New Found World. Shippen published 21 books throughout her career and twice won the Newbery Honor Award. Several of her books have been translated into Swedish, German, Polish, Spanish, and Greek editions. She died on February 20, 1980, in Suffern, NY.