Mostly long
out of print, Zenna Henderson was one of the first
woman Science Fiction and
Fantasy writers. She was one of even fewer women who
wrote as such openly as a woman. Henderson was also a
pioneer in
Spiritual science fiction. "The People," the basis of the series of the same name, were a highly
religious culture.
Aside from the "People" series, Henderson published "The Pilgrimage" as well as "Holding Wonder" and "The Anything Box," both anthologies of her short stories.
Before her death in 1983, Henderson was a teacher, and included very accurate points of view of young children in many of her stories.
She is well worth the read... if you can manage to come across any of her work.