Beautiful Joe

Margaret Marshall Saunders (1861-1947) was a Canadian author. Born in the village of Milton, Queens County, Nova Scotia she was the daughter of a Baptist minister. She is most famous for her novel Beautiful Joe, a story narrated by a dog who has had a difficult puppy hood with many obstacles including a cruel owner. When the book was published in 1894, both it and its subject received worldwide attention. In 1934, Saunders was made a Commander of the British Empire, at the time her country's highest civilian honor. Following the success of Beautiful Joe, Saunders wrote more than twenty other stories, a number of which provided social commentary on such things as the abolition of child labour, slum clearance, and the improvement of playground facilities.