 Virginia Haviland, later the first director of the Library of Congress Children's Book Section, said of "Sarah Noble", "“Here is a remarkable book for younger readers — a true pioneer adventure, written for easy reading but without any sacrifice of literary quality or depth of feeling.”

Dalgliesh wrote over three dozen children's books, others for adults, and a great many articles and reviews of children's fiction.A number of her books were named Best Books of the Year by "Horn Book Magazine".Her non-fiction was often noted by reviewers for its "casual yet factual and detailed style."