 She was born in Kernstown, Virginia of French Canadian descent, and worked many old family stories and folktales into early books like "The Talking Cat and Other Stories of French Canada" (1952).Carlson published her first story at age eight on the children's page of the "Baltimore Sunday Sun".For "The Family Under the Bridge", she was a runner-up for the 1959 Newbery Medal from the professional librarians, which annually recognizes the "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children".