Betty MacDonald (born Anne Elizabeth Campbell Bard; March 26, 1907 – February 7, 1958) was a renowned American author famous for her humorous autobiographical tales. She gained widespread recognition with her book The Egg and I. Additionally, she authored the beloved Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series of children's books.

MacDonald was born in Boulder, Colorado. Although her official birth date is listed as March 26, 1908, census records suggest 1907. In 1918, her family moved to Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, later relocating to Laurelhurst and finally settling in the Roosevelt neighborhood in 1922. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1924.

At the age of 20, in July 1927, MacDonald married Robert Eugene Heskett. The couple lived on a chicken farm in the Olympic Peninsula's Chimacum Valley. However, she left Heskett in 1931, returning to Seattle where she worked various jobs to support their daughters.