Jean Craighead George

Jean Carolyn Craighead was born on July 2, 1919, to a family of naturalists. She grew up immersed in nature, going on frequent camping trips that exposed her to the flora and fauna of her native Washington, D.C. George graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1941 and went on to write professionally for many decades. She worked as reporter for The Washington Post in the 1940s and wrote for Reader’s Digest from 1969–1982. George married her husband, John Lothar George, in 1944, and they collaborated on several books and had three children together before divorcing in 1963. One of George’s first solo publications, My Side of the Mountain (1959) was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal. In 1970, George traveled to Barrow, Alaska (now Utqiagvik, Alaska) to research wolves for a piece she was writing for Reader’s Digest. George’s trip exposed her to the mannerisms of wolves and the culture of Utqiagvik’s Iñupiat population, and these experiences would inspire her to Julie of the Wolves (1972). The book was a major critical success for George and won the 1973 Newbery Medal. The Arctic tundra became one of George’s favorite places, and she would return to Utqiagvik many times after her initial trip. George published over 100 children’s books over the course of her career. Her style combines sharp, scientific detail with lyrical prose, and she is celebrated for writing books that instill in children a sense of wonder and respect for the natural world. She died on May 15, 2012 at age 92 in Mount Kisco, New York.