Mary Quintard Govan Steele (May 8, 1922 – July 6, 1992) was a noted American author and naturalist. She wrote over 20 books --- some adult-style, but mostly children's books. One of her books, Journey Outside, was a Newbery Honor Book. Steele sometimes wrote under the name Wilson Gage.

Steele was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...

 to Gilbert and Christine Govan. A graduate of the University of Chattanooga and was married to author William O. Steele

William O. Steele

William O. Steele was an American author. He was married to another author, Mary Quintard Govan.Steele was born in Franklin, Tennessee, the son of Core and Sue, and spent a large amount of his youth exploring the woods around his home. This led to an interest in the history of the area and of its...

. Her first book, The Secret of the Indian Mound, was published in 1958. In The Living Year, one of her only adult novels, she wrote, "I did not become a writer, but was born one, waking up in the morning to sort the day into scenes and characters and descriptions." She died in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...

.

Selected bibliography

• The Secret of the Indian Mound (1958)
• Cully Cully and the Bear, written as Wilson Gage, illustrated by James Stevenson
  James Stevenson (illustrator)
  James Stevenson is a best known as an American illustrator and author of over 100 children's books. His cartoons appear regularly in The New Yorker magazine. He usually uses a unique comic book style of illustration that is very recognizable...
  
   (1983)
• Anna's Summer Songs, poetry illustrated by Lena Anderson (1988)
• The Living Year