Kate Douglas Wiggin was an American children's author and educator. She was born in Philadelphia of Welsh descent. She started the first free kindergarten in San Francisco in 1878 (the Silver Street Free Kindergarten). With her sister in the 1880s she also established a training school for kindergarten teachers. She was also a writer of children's books, the best known being The Birds' Christmas Carol (1887) and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1903).

Polly Oliver's Problem has been thought to have been inspired by Kate's own life. Like Polly, Kate's mother ran a boarding house, and like Polly, Kate was a storyteller and teacher. When her mother's health takes a turn for the worse, the family doctor prescribes a change of climate. Polly must assume the responsibility for her mother's care and relocate the family to San Francisco, while trying to fulfill her dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher.