Charlotte Waring Atkinson

Charlotte Waring Atkinson
Portrait attributed to her son, C. E. Atkinson (c. 1842–1846)
Born
Charlotte Waring

1796 (1796)
Marylebone, London, England
Died10 October 1867(1867-10-10) (aged 70–71)
Oldbury, New South Wales, Australia
OccupationAuthor
Years activec. 1841
Known forAuthor of Australia's earliest known children's book
Notable workA Mother's Offering to her Children (1841)
Spouses
James Atkinson
(m. 1827⁠–⁠1834)
George Bruce Barton
(m. 1836)
Children4, including Caroline Louisa Waring Calvert

Charlotte Atkinson (1796–10 October 1867) was the author of Australia's earliest known children's book. It was titled A Mother's Offering to her Children: By a Lady, Long Resident in New South Wales, and was published in 1841 in The Sydney Gazette.

Anonymously published, the book was originally attributed to Lady J.J. Gordon Bremer, the wife of Sir Gordon Bremer. However, extensive research by Marcie Muir supports its attribution to Charlotte Barton.