Arthur Scott Bailey

Arthur Scott Bailey (1877–1949) was an American children’s author best known for his “Sleepy-Time Tales” and “Tuck-Me-In Tales” series, a set of short animal stories written in the early twentieth century. Published primarily during the 1910s and 1920s, his books were designed for young readers and parents looking for gentle, accessible bedtime reading. Bailey contributed dozens of titles to this genre, making him a notable figure in early American children’s literature.

Bailey’s stories are built around personified woodland and farmyard animals, each given a distinct personality and a modest adventure to navigate. His writing is warm and gently humorous, with plots that tend to revolve around a young animal’s curiosity leading it into a small predicament — often with a quiet moral tucked inside. In An Interrupted Nap, for instance, the fawn Nimble slips away into the forest while his mother sleeps, navigating the woods with careful, tip-toeing caution — a scenario that neatly captures Bailey’s knack for finding gentle tension in everyday animal life.

Among his most fully developed works is The Tale of Fatty Coon, a chapter book following a young raccoon named Fatty through a series of curious discoveries and small misadventures — from learning about eggs and uncovering Mrs. Turtle’s secret to going fishing and making the kinds of mistakes that tend to teach young creatures (and young readers) something useful. The episodic structure of the book reflects Bailey’s broader approach: each chapter works as a self-contained story, making the books easy to read in short sessions.

Bailey’s place in literary history is that of a reliable and prolific contributor to early twentieth-century American children’s publishing. His animal characters, while simple, are drawn with enough warmth and individuality to have kept readers returning to his books well past their original publication dates. His work sits comfortably alongside other authors of the period who used personified animals to introduce children to ideas of consequence, curiosity, and the natural world.