Susan Coolidge 
What Katy Did (Annotated) 

• This edition includes the following editor’s introduction: ‘What Katy Did, ‘ a universal children’s classic

Originally published in 1872, “What Katy Did” is an 1872 children’s book written by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey under her pen name Susan Coolidge. It is a delightful children’s classic that manages to be charming yet poignant in an unexpected way.



“What Katy Did” follows the adventures of a twelve-year-old American girl, Katy Carr, and her family who live in the fictional lakeside Ohio town of Burnet in the 1860s. Katy is a tall untidy tomboy, forever getting into scrapes but wishing to be beautiful and beloved. When a terrible accident makes her an invalid, her illness and four-year recovery gradually teach her to be as good and kind as she has always wanted.



‘What Katy Did’ was followed by four sequels that continued one of the most important series in children’s literature: ‘What Katy Did at School, ‘ ‘What Katy Did Next, ‘ ‘Clover’ and ‘In the High Valley.’