Jean Craighead-George - 1919
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I. Biography
Born in Washington, D.C., the year of 1919, to a family of naturalists, Jean Craighead-George has always been a child of nature.
As a young girl, Craighead enjoyed hiking around the woods behind her Washington, D.C. home with her twin brothers. She also spent many hours caring for her first pet, a turkey vulture. By the age of six, Craighead had decided that when she grew up she would become an illustrator, writer, dancer, poet and, of course, a mother. Her hobbies would be swimming and ice-skating.
Craighead ambitiously pursued these dreams as she obtained her education and completed her college career at Penn State. While in college, Craighead added politics and journalism to her career list. When one of her professors exclaimed, "Jean, you have to make up your mind, you can't do all these things well!" Craighead settled on two choices -- painting and writing. When Craighead graduated college, she had a degree in Science and Literature.
After graduation, Craighead became a reporter for the International News Service and the Washington Post. This further ignited her passion for writing.
During World War II, Craighead met a man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who would become her husband. His name was John George. John led a life similar to Craighead's, observing wildlife along the lakes of Wisconsin; however, John put his material into scientific articles instead of stories. They were quickly married and, after the war, the two of them returned to the University of Michigan, where John completed his Ph.D. While there, a daughter they named Twig was born to Craighead-George and John.
Craighead-George continued writing and won her first award in 1956; she was granted the Aurianne Award, from the American Library Association for her work, Dipper in Copper Creek . Craighead-George also illustrated her first works.
Craighead-George and her small family moved around and ended up at Vassar College where her husband John taught ecology and conservation. While living at Vassar, Craighead-George and John were blessed with two more children, Craig and Luke.
Craighead-George and John also collaborated on animal biography books. In 1960, Craighead-George won a Newberry Honor Award for her work on My Side of the Mountain. Paramount Pictures made this book into a feature film in 1968.
One summer, Craighead-George and her son, Luke, took a life-changing trip to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska. During this excursion, Craighead-George developed the idea for one of her most famous books, Julie of the Wolves. The idea came to her when Craighead-George saw a little girl walking on the Alaskan tundra outside Barrow. Julie of the Wolves was named as one of the ten best children's books by the Children's Literature Association in 1976.
Animals often influence Craighead-George's works. Over the years, she has kept 173 pets, not including dogs and cats, in her home in Chappagua, New York. Many of these creatures have been used as characters in Craighead-George's books.
Travel is also a large influence on Craighead-George's writing. She writes many of her stories in settings outside of New York. Two such books are written about Montana and its wildlife. One book is named The Moon of the Chickarees. It is a story of April in Montana as seen from the perspective of a pine squirrel. The second book is named Going to the Sun and is a story about the mountain goats of Glacier National Park and the biologists who studied them. Craighead-George's has also written books that include information about almost all of the other forty-nine states.
Craighead-George never wants to retire. She states, "There are always stories to be found in the wilderness and books to be written so that the stories may be shared." She continues to travel and develops her story ideas while travelling. She then writes her stories upon returning home.
Inclusively, Craighead-George has written over sixty books. Her juvenile fiction novels number fifteen, and she has authored two nonfiction series for juveniles. Her Thirteen Moons Series is a re-issue of titles originally published from the years 1967 to 1969. Another series, One Day , is an ecological survey of the biospheres, the desert, alpine, tundra, prairie, woods, and tropical rain forests. Craighead-George has published outside of children's books, writing wildlife guides for adults, animal training books, and an autobiography.
Above all else, Craighead-George is a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. A lover of nature almost since birth, this remarkable woman has given an incredible gift to the world through her award-winning writings.
II. Literary Works
Books that take place in Montana
The Moon of the Chickarees – Story of the month of April in Montana. It is seen from a pine squirrel's (chickaree) point of view.
Going to the Sun – Story of the mountain goats of Glacier National Park, and the biologists who studied them.
Other books (still in print)
Acorn Pancakes And Dandelion Salad And 38 Other Recipes
Animals Who Have Won Our Hearts
Arctic Son
The Big Book For Our Planet
The Case Of The Missing Cutthroats: An Ecological Mystery
The Cry Of The Cow: A Novel
Dear Katie, The Volcano Is A Girl
Dear Rebecca, Winter Is Here
Dipper Of Copper Creek
Everglades
Everglades Wild Guide
The Fire Bug Connection
The First Thanksgiving
Frightful Mountain
Giraffe Trouble
The Grizzly Bear With The Golden Years
How To Talk To Your Cat/Dog
Julie
Julie Of The Wolves
Julie's Wolf Pack
Look To The North; A Wolf Pup Diary
The Missing Gator Of Gumbo Limbo
My Side Of The Mountain
On The Far Side Of The Mountain
One Day In The Dessert
One Day In The Tropical Rainforest
One Day In The Woods
Shark Beneath The Reef
The Summer Of The Falcon
The Talking Earth
Water Sky
Who Really Killed the Cock Robin? An Ecological Mystery
III. Sources
http://www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com
http://www.lib.usm.edu/~degrum/findaids/george.htm
This essay was submitted by a student of Steve Gardiner, a teacher at Billings Senior High School in Billings, Montana.