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“And now, Katy, it's your turn. Tell us what you're going to be when you
grow up.”
“I'm not sure about what I'll be,” replied Katy; “beautiful, of course,
and good if I can. That's what I'd like to be. But now I'll tell you
what I mean to do…'
Tomboyish Katy Carr is tall, gangling, and full of mischief. Constantly
scheming and playing with her brothers and sisters, 12-year-old Katy
dreams that one day she will be 'beautiful and beloved, and amiable as
an angel'. But goodness and obedience don't come easily to Katy, who had
promised to be a good stand-in mother to her younger siblings but finds
it difficult to stick to her word. When her bedridden cousin Helen comes
to stay, Katy becomes enchanted with her as the living embodiment of
goodness and light. On the day Helen leaves, Katy devotes herself to be
a shining example of Helen's behaviour. But quickly the best of
intentions go awry, and a day of mischief ends in an accident: a serious
fall from a swing that seems to threaten Katy's grand hopes for the
future. But by focusing on the good humour and strength she witnessed in
Helen, Katy eventually learns to overcome her difficulties in the
'School of Pain', and to practice strength, patience, and hope.
Originally published in 1872, and often paired with The Secret Garden
and Pollyanna, What Katy Did is the classic American tale of childhood,
love, hope, and 'doing good'. Susan Coolidge was the pen name of Sarah
Chauncey Woolsey (1835-1905). She wrote book-length stories as well as
short stories and poems and is best known for What Katy Did and the
series that followed.
