Ruth Gallard Ainsworth^[1] (16 October 1908 – 16 May 1984) was a British writer, of over seventy children's books and numerous radio scripts.

Ainsworth was born in Manchester, in 1908, the second child (and first daughter) of Methodist minister Rev. Percy Clough Ainsworth and Gertrude Fisk of Pendleton, her older brother being mycologist Geoffrey Clough Ainsworth.^[2]

Ainsworth's father died on 1 July 1909 from typhoid aged 36. Soon after the family moved to 2 High Cliff Villas, Cobbold Road, Felixstowe. Ainsworth enrolled at Ipswich High School, Woolverstone where she studied between September 1924 and July 1926.^[2] She later attended the Froebel Training Centre in Leicester.^[3]

On 29 March 1935 she married chemist Frank Lathe Gilbert in Leicester. On 7 September 1936, while in Lancaster, she gave birth to twin sons: Christopher Gallard Gilbert (furniture historian and museum curator)^[4] and Oliver Lathe Gilbert (urban ecologist and lichenologist).^[5] She had a third son Richard Frank Gilbert.

The Gilberts initially settled in London, but their house was bombed in World War II. They relocated to Porthmadog. Latterly the Gilberts lived in Corbridge, Northumberland.^[2]

Ainsworth died in 1984 aged 75. Her ashes were scattered in a stream in Wasdale.^[2]

Ainsworth re-told classic fairy tales, as well as new stories of her own.^[6]

Ainsworth was a scriptwriter for Listen with Mother, a popular BBC children's programme.^[7] Some were published as Ruth Ainsworth's Listen with Mother Tales. Astrid Walford (illustrator). William Heinemann. 1951.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link).

Some of her stories were televised as marionette plays.^[2]

The series "Books for me to read", written with Ronald Ridout, has the secondary title "A book for me to read" on each cover.

It is not clear if the color sub-series ("Red book 1" etc.) is used throughout its history. Some or all of the books were republished with slightly different titles, for example Pony Pony (London: Bancroft, 1965) as Pony, pony : my sixth reading book (Bristol: Purnell, 1983) while still in "Books for me to read. Blue series." Most or all of these books were published in the initial teaching alphabet.

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (March 2015)

• Tales about Tony. London: Epworth Press. 1936.
• The Gingerbread House. London: Epworth Press. 1938.
• Mr. Popcorn's Friends. London: Epworth Press. 1938.
• The Ragamuffins. London: Epworth Press. 1939.
• Richard's First Term. A school story. London: Epworth Press. 1940.
• All Different. Poems for children ... Linda Bramley (illustrator). London; Toronto: William Heinemann. 1947.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Five and a Dog. London: Epworth Press. 1949.
• Ruth Ainsworth's Listen with Mother Tales. Astrid Walford (illustrator). London: William Heinemann. 1951.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Rufty Tufty the Golliwog ... Dorothy Craigie (illustrator). London: William Heinemann. 1952.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• The Ruth Ainsworth Readers. London: William Heinemann. 1953.
• The Evening listens. [Poems.] London: William Heinemann. 1953.
• More about Charles, and other stories. From "Listen with Mother" ... Sheila Hawkins (illustrator). London: William Heinemann. 1954.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Rufty Tufty at the Seaside ... Dorothy Craigie (illustrator). London: William Heinemann. 1954.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Charles Stories, and others. From "Listen with Mother" ... Sheila Hawkins (illustrator). London: William Heinemann. 1954.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Three Little Mushrooms. Four puppet plays ... London: William Heinemann. 1955.
• More Little Mushrooms. Four puppet plays ... London: William Heinemann. 1955.
• The Snow Bear, etc. London: William Heinemann. 1956.
• Rufty Tufty goes camping ... Dorothy Craigie (illustrator). London: William Heinemann. 1956.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• with Ronald Ridout (1956–58). The Look ahead Readers ... Vol. bk. 1, 3–8. John Mackay (illustrator). London: William Heinemann.
• with Ronald Ridout (1956). Look ahead Supplementary Readers. London: William Heinemann.-
• Five Listen with Mother Tales about Charles ... Matvyn Wright (illustrator). London: Adprint. 1957.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Rufty Tufty runs away. Dorothy Craigie (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1957.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Nine Drummers drumming. John Mackay (illustrator). London: William Heinemann. 1958.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Rufty Tufty flies high ... D. G. Valentine (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1959.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Rufty Tufty's Island. D. G. Valentine (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1960.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Cherry Stones. A book of fairy stories. Pat Humphreys (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1960.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Lucky dip : a selection of stories and verses. Geraldine Spence (illustrator). London: Penguin. 1961.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Rufty Tufty and Hattie. D. G. Valentine (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1962.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Far-Away Children. Felice Trentin (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1963.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• The Wolf who was Sorry. Doritie Kettlewell (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1964.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Red book 1, Jill and Peter. Books for me to read. Ingeborg Meyer-Rey (illustrator). London; printed in Holland: Bancroft & Co. 1964.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)-
• Rufty Tufty makes a House. D. G. Valentine (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1965.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Lucky dip. A selection of stories and verses by Ruth Ainsworth. Geraldine Spence (illustrator). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. 1965.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Daisy the cow ... Sarah Garland (illustrator). London: Hamish Hamilton. 1966.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Books for me to read: Green Series - Susan's House. London, printed in Holland: Initial Teaching Publishing Co. 1966.
• Books for me to read: Green Series - Huff the Hedgehog. London, printed in Holland: Initial Teaching Publishing Co. 1966.
• Horse on wheels. Janet Duchesne (illustrator). Hamish Hamilton. 1966.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Jack Frost. Jane Paton (illustrator). Heinemann. 1966.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• In woods and fields;. Jennie Corbett (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1967.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Down the lane. Jennie Corbett (illustrator). London; Santa Cruz de Tenerife printed: Heinemann. 1967.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Roly the railway mouse ... Leslie Atkinson (illustrator). London; Santa Cruz de Tenerife printed: Heinemann. 1967.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• More tales of Shellover. Antony Maitland (illustrator). London: André Deutsch. 1968.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• The bicycle wheel. Shirley Hughes (illustrator). London: Hamish Hamilton. 1969.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• In the park. Jennie Corbett (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1969.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• My monarch book of Snow White and the seven dwarfs. London: Purnell. 1969.
• In your garden. Jennie Corbett (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1969.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• My monarch book of Puss in Boots. London: Purnell. 1969.
• My monarch book of Beauty and the Beast. London: Purnell. 1969.
• My Monarch book of colours and sounds. Paulton, Somerset: Purnell. c. 1969.
• By pond and stream. Jennie Corbett (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1969.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• The Noah's ark. Elsie Wrigley (illustrator). London: Lutterworth Press. 1969.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Llyfrau lliw cyfres y brython. Translated by Jennie Tomas. Liverpool: Hugh Evans. 1969.
• Look, do and listen. Bernadette Watts (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1969.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• The Ruth Ainsworth Book. Shirley Hughes (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1970.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• The phantom cyclist, and other stories. Antony Maitland (illustrator). London: Deutsch. 1971.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Fairy gold : favourite fairy tales retold for the very young. Barbara Hope Steinberg (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1972.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Another lucky dip. Shirley Hughes (illustrator). Harmondsworth: Penguin. 1973.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Three's company. Prudence Seward (illustrator). Guildford: Lutterworth Press. 1974.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• The phantom fisherboy : tales of mystery and magic. Shirley Hughes (illustrator). London: Deutsch. 1974.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• compiled by Ruth Ainsworth (1975). Three bags full. Sally Long (illustrator). London: Heinemann.
• More tales of Shellover. Antony Maitland (illustrator). Harmondsworth: Puffin Books. 1976.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• The bear who liked hugging people, and other stories. Antony Maitland (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1976.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Up the airy mountain : stories of magic. Eileen Browne (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1977.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Puss in boots. Maidenhead: Purnell. 1977.
• Little Red Riding Hood. Maidenhead: Purnell. 1977.
• Beauty and the beast. Maidenhead: Purnell. 1977.
• The sleeping beauty. Maidenhead: Purnell. 1977.
• Jack and the beanstalk. Maidenhead: Purnell. 1977.
• Snow White. Maidenhead: Purnell. 1977.
• Mr Jumble's toy shop. Paul Wrigley (illustrator). Guildford: Lutterworth Press. 1978.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• The talking rock. Joanna Stubbs (illustrator). London: Deutsch. 1979.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Goldilocks and the three bears. Maidenhead: Purnell. 1980.
• The mysterious Baba and her magic caravan : two stories. Joan Hickson (illustrator). London: Deutsch. 1980.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Mermaids' tales. Dandi Palmer (illustrator). Guildford: Lutterworth Press. 1980.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• The three little pigs. Maidenhead: Purnell. 1980.
• The pirate ship : and other stories. Shirley Hughes (illustrator). London: Heinemann. 1980.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Cinderella. Maidenhead: Purnell. 1980.
• Rumplestiltskin. Maidenhead: Purnell. 1980.
• Hansel and Gretel. Maidenhead: Purnell. 1980.
• The phantom roundabout : and other ghostly tales. Shirley Hughes (illustrator). [Sevenoaks]: Knight. 1981 [c 1977].{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• The mysterious Baba; and, Her Magic caravan. Joan Hickson (illustrator). London: Beaver. 1982 [c 1980].{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• with Ronald Ridout. (1983) [c 1965]. A pram and a bicycle : my fifth reading book. Bristol: Purnell.
• with Ronald Ridout. (1983) [c 1965]. A name of my own : my fourth reading book. Bristol: Purnell.
• with Ronald Ridout. (1983) [c 1965]. Jill and Peter : my first reading book. Bristol: Purnell.
• The ten tales of Shellover. Antony Maitland (illustrator). Harmondsworth: Puffin. 1967 [c 1963].{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• with Ronald Ridout. (1983) [c 1965]. The house of hay : my second reading book. Bristol: Purnell.
• with Ronald Ridout. (1983) [c 1965]. Come and play : my third reading book. Bristol: Purnell.
• The little yellow taxi and his friends. Gary Inwood (illustrator). London: Hippo. 1989 [c 1982].{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

• Official website
• Ruth Ainsworth at Library of Congress, with 28 library catalogue records