Annie Fellows Johnston (1863-1931) was an American author of juvenile fiction, most well-known for the Little Colonel series, the first book of which was made into a 1935 movie starring Shirley Temple, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Lionel Barrymore. Johnston based her characters on friends and family, many of whom appear in several different series. Her semi-biographical characters include The Old Colonel, Mom Beck, Papa Jack, Mrs Sherman, Aunt Allison, and the Waltons. Her first novel, Big Brother was published in 1894 followed by The Little Colonel (1895), and 13 novels in the Little Colonel series. Other works include; Ole Mammy's Torment (1897), Two Little Knights of Kentucky (1899), The Story of Dago (1900), The Quilt that Jack Built (1905), The Legend of the Bleeding-Heart (1907), The Rescue of the Princess Winsome (1908) and Georgina of the Rainbows (1916).