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