This essay describes the life, common themes, and artistic output of Barbara Hofland, an eighteenth-century rational moralist writer primarily known for her moral stories for children. Hofland’s stories were often overtly didactic, emphasizing the importance of family, work, and financial stability to her young readership. This essay examines the unique role of class, money, gender and work in Hofland’s tales for children, emphasizing the ways in which she both aligned herself with popular trends and sought to introduce children to more challenging themes of class and economic precarity. Particular attention is paid to the role of widows and working women in Hofland’s work, themes reflective of her own life experiences. The essay concludes with the observation that Hofland’s literary works for children, when read together, ultimately demonstrate a moral framework that connects financial competency and hard work to the highest form of virtue. Over the course of her prolific career, Hofland produced over 66 known books that also included adult literature, poetry, textbooks, travel writing, and adventure writing.