Jean Craighead George was born in 1919 in Washington, D.C. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were all various kinds of naturalists. Her father, an entomologist and ecologist, encouraged Jean and her brothers to spend a lot of time in the woods, and they did. "He taught us the plants and animals, where to find wild asparagus and other edible plants. We made lean-tos to sleep in, fished with our own homemade fish hooks and basswood fiber lines and trained falcons. My brothers were two of the first falconers in the United States and gave me a falcon to train when I was thirteen. It was a glorious childhood."
"I went on dancing and writing and painting and swimming and ice skating through Penn State College. During this exposure to learning I added politics and journalism to my career list, with science as a hobby. Finally one wise professor said to me, "Jean, you will have to make up your mind. You can't do all of these things well." This seemed to me to be sound advice, so I settled on two careers--painting and writing, with all the others as hobbies."
In the 1930s, George was a member of the Carolyn McKinley Interpretive Dance Group. In the 40s she was a White House Press Corps correspondent and a reporter for the Washington Post. She obtained a husband, three kids and, over the years, 173 pets. Through it all she wrote and wrote and wrote - over a hundred books, most of them for children. She does not plan to ever retire.
Her children are named Craig, Luke, and Twig. They are all naturalists.
Jean may be reached at jean@jeancraigheadgeorge.com. (jean)
Quotes:
"Housework and children are rewarding but not the whole answer. There is still time left over, so I think I will become an illustrator, writer, dancer, politician, and mother."
"My mother lived to be one hundred and three, and I hope I shall fall dead over the letter "K" on the word processor at that same age."
Books:
Acorn Pancakes, Dandelion Salad and Other Wild Dishes
Animals Who Have Won Our Hearts
Arctic Son
The Case of the Missing Cutthroats
The Cry of the Crow
Dear Katie, the Volcano is a Girl
Dear Rebecca, Winter Is Here
Dipper of Copper Creek
Elephant Walk
The Everglades
The Fire Bug Connection
Frightful's Mountain
Giraffe Trouble
Gorilla Gang
How to Talk to Your Cat
How to Talk to Your Dog
Incredible Animal Adventures
Julie
Julie of the Wolves (1973 Newbery Award)
Julie's Wolf Pack
Look to the North : A Wolf Pup Diary
The Missing 'Gator of Gumbo Limbo
The Moon of the Alligators
The Moon of the Bears
The Moon of the Deer
The Moon of the Chickarees
The Moon of the Fox Pups
The Moon of the Gray Wolves
The Moon of the Moles
The Moon of the Monarch Butterflies
The Moon of the Mountain Lions
The Moon of the Owls
The Moon of the Salamanders
The Moon of the Wild Pigs
The Moon of the Winter Bird
Morning, Noon, and Night
My Side of the Mountain
Nutik, the Wolf Pup
One Day in the Desert
On the Far Side of the Mountain
One Day in the Alpine Tundra
One Day in the Desert
One Day in the Prairie
One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest
One Day in the Tropical Rainforest
One Day in the Woods
Rhino Romp
Shark Beneath the Reef
Snow Bear
The Talking Earth
The Tarantula in My Purse: And 172 Other Wild Pets
There's an Owl in the Shower
Vulpes the Red Fox
Water Sky
Who Really Killed Cock Robin?
thanks to:
http://www.harperchildrens.com/schoolhouse/TeachersGuides/jcgbio.htm
http://teacher.scholastic.com/authorsandbooks/authors/george/tscript.htm
http://www.edupaperback.org/authorbios/georgeje.html
http://www.grizzlybear.org/jcg/index.html
www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com
www.amazon.com
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