GREENE, Jacqueline Dembar 1946-

PERSONAL: Born May 21, 1946, in Hartford, CT; married Malcolm R. Greene (an optometrist), in 1967; children: Matthew, Kenneth. Education: University of Connecticut, B.A. (with honors), 1967; Central Missouri University, M.A. (with special distinction), 1970. Hobbies and other interests: Gardening, hiking, photography, cross-country skiing, travel (has traveled extensively in the American Southwest, Mexico, and Europe).

ADDRESSES: Home and office—5 Astra, Wayland, MA 01778. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: French teacher in and near Boston, MA, 1967–71; worked variously as reporter, columnist, and feature writer for newspapers, including Middlesex News (now called MetroWest Daily News), Framingham, MA, and Wellesley Townsman, Wellesley, MA, 1971–80; writer, 1980–.

MEMBER: Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Authors Guild.

AWARDS, HONORS: Pick of the List citation, Booklist, 1984, for The Leveller; National Jewish Book Award finalist, 1984, for Butchers and Bakers, Rabbis and Kings; Sydney Taylor Honor Book citation, Association of Jewish Libraries, and Book for the Teen Age citation, New York Public Libraries, both 1988, both for Out of Many Waters; Pick of the Lists citation, American Booksellers award, and Sydney Taylor Honor Award, all 1994, all for One Foot Ashore.

WRITINGS:

FICTION; FOR CHILDREN

A Classroom Hanukah, illustrations by Debra G. Butler, Pascal Publishers, 1980.

The Hanukah Tooth, illustrations by Pauline A. Ouellet, Pascal Publishers, 1980.

Butchers and Bakers, Rabbis and Kings, Kar-Ben, Inc. (Rockville, MD), 1984.

The Leveller, Walker & Co. (New York, NY), 1984.

Nathan's Hanukkah Bargain, illustrations by Steffi Karen Rubin, Kar-Ben, Inc. (Rockville, MD), 1986.

Out of Many Waters, Walker & Co. (New York, NY), 1988.

The Maya, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1992.

What His Father Did, illustrations by John O'Brien, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1992.

The Chippewa, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1993.

One Foot Ashore (companion book to Out of Many Waters), Walker & Co. (New York, NY), 1994.

Manabozho's Gifts: Three Chippewa Tales, illustrations by Jennifer Hewitson, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1994.

Marie: Mystery at the Paris Ballet ("Girlhood Journeys" series), illustrations by Lyn Durham, Aladdin Paperbacks (New York, NY), 1997.

Marie: Summer in the Country, France, 1775 ("Girlhood Journeys" series), illustrations by Lyn Durham, Aladdin Paperbacks (New York, NY), 1997.

(And photographer) Powwow: A Good Day to Dance, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1998.

The Tohono O'odham, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1998.

Slavery in Ancient Greece and Rome, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 2000.

Slavery in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 2000.

The Emperor's Teacup and Other Tales from Near and Far, Rigby (Oxford, England), 2002.

Short story "David's Star" published in anthology With All My Heart, with All My Mind, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Contributor to educational books by Rigby and Harcourt, as well as periodicals including Boston Globe, Day Care, Highlights for Children, Lollipops, Ladybugs and Lucky Stars, Nitty Gritty City, Parenting, Parents' Choice, Small Talk, and Wellesley Magazine.

SIDELIGHTS: Children's book author Jacqueline Dembar Greene has focused on writing about other cultures and historical times. A former school teacher and journalist since 1980, she has been publishing books ranging from tales about Hanukkah and Native Americans to stories of slavery in the ancient world and the daily struggles of life in the days of the Inquisition in Europe.

Several of Greene's books have involved the lives of Jewish peoples. Her third book for children, Butchers and Bakers, Rabbis and Kings, for one, tells of the seemingly all-powerful King Alfonso the Warrior, who strides into Tudela, Spain, in 1114 thinking he needs no one. Concerned about their safety in the new kingdom, the Jews of the city devise a plan to convince the king that without his subjects, he is just an ordinary man.

One of Greene's picture books, What His Father Did, is a humorous story of the trickster Hershel, who figures prominently in Jewish folklore. Traveling on a long journey with little money, Herschel stops at an isolated inn and tricks an innkeeper into giving him supper by vaguely threatening to "do what his father did" if he is left hungry. The frightened innkeeper gathers food from nearby merchants, imagining all manner of horrible things the father could have done, and gets a surprise when Herschel reveals what his father really did. A Kirkus Reviews writer noted that Greene's writing is "lively and economical, fine for sharing aloud."

Greene's historical novel Out of Many Waters relates the fictional saga of two sisters who escape from a monastery in Brazil in 1654 to go in search of their parents. Forced to stow away on a ship without her sister, twelve-year-old Isobel is rescued by a small group of Jewish colonists who founded the first Jewish settlement in America. Susan Levine, writing for the Voice of Youth Advocates, noted that Greene's characterization of Isobel helps the reader "sympathize with her and be interested in her success." The critic added, "It is a good story with a memorable character and an easy way to learn a little history." Storms, pirates, kidnapping, first love, landing in New Amsterdam, and Isobel's hopes of finding her family move the plot along. Eli N. Evans wrote in the New York Times Book Review, "Greene has done a relatively smooth job of weaving history, drama and narrative into an arresting story." The sisters' saga is continued in Greene's One Foot Ashore. Having escaped to Amsterdam and barely surviving a trip as a stowaway on a ship, Maria manages to find employment with the famous painter Rembrandt. "This novel exemplifies the best of historical fiction," declared Horn Book contributor Elizabeth S. Watson, "providing a real sense of the times, a plausible plot, and authentic characters."

Greene's book The Leveller was chosen as a Pick of the List by the American Bookseller in 1984. The protagonist, Tom Cook, was a real person who was shunned by townsfolk in eighteenth-century Massachusetts because they thought he was in league with the devil. Using the people's superstitions to avoid capture, Tom set out to secretly "level" the fortunes of the poor farmers with those who had an abundance of food and wealth, all the while trying to outwit the devil, who coveted Tom's soul.

In books that some reviewers have compared to the "American Girl" series about young girls growing up in historical America, Greene has contributed two tales to the "Girlhood Journeys" series. Greene, who speaks French and once taught the subject, chose to set her stories in eighteenth-century France in Marie: Mystery at the Paris Ballet, Paris, 1775 and Marie: Summer in the Country, France, 1775. In the former title, ten-year-old Marie is competing to perform for the Paris Opera. The tension between the girls turns nasty when Marie is accused of purposely destroying the wig of one girl and of taking a shoe from another. Meanwhile, a parallel story follows the intrigues of pre-revolution France as young Juliet risks her life to deliver a message from a prisoner to his wife. In the second book, Marie tries to help her cousin Kai, who is about to be forced into a life as a servant. Booklist contributor Denia Hester praised this work for its realistic and accurate depictions of life in that century, adding that Greene's book in "engaging."

With Slavery in Ancient Greece and Rome and Slavery in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, Greene seeks to accurately depict what it was like being a slave in these ancient times. As School Library Journal reviewer Eunice Weech noted, Greene emphasizes the "living conditions and treatment of slaves" and frankly portrays the "brutality of this institution."

Increasingly in more recent years, Greene has chosen to write about Native American culture and traditions in books such as The Chippewa, Manabozho's Gifts: Three Chippewa Tales, and Powwow: A Good Day to Dance. The first title is a straightforward nonfiction work that describes food, clothing, lifestyle, and religion of the Chippewa tribes, while the other two books are fictional tales that still focus on conveying the Native American culture. In Manabozho's Gifts Greene retells traditional stories about the shape-shifter and hero of the title, all of which emphasize the "philosophy of living in harmony with nature," according to Linda Ward-Callaghan in a Booklist assessment. And with Powwow the author chose to describe the tradition of the powwow through the eyes of a fictional ten-year-old boy.

Greene once told CA: "I have been interested in writing for young people since a college course in children's literature initiated me to the power and depth of this genre. All through my journalism career, my former professor continued to encourage me to write for children. With the publication of my first book, I left the bustle of the news office for the quiet of my own imagination. I have continued to use the research skills from my former career to find the facts and history that I feel make a story relevant and alive.

"I always remember that we are never very far from childhood. All the things we have done, the friends we have made, the embarrassments and successes we felt, are part of us and make us the people we are. When I write a book, it is not just written with children in mind. It reflects my feelings and should strike a responsive chord in every reader, regardless of age. I hope my characters speak to everyone, expressing the ageless and human emotions we all share, and making readers feel as if they have met someone they never knew before, and will remember for a long time."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Bloomsbury Review, November, 1995, review of Manabozho's Gifts: Three Chippewa Tales, p. 35.

Booklist, March 1, 1992, Hazel Rochman, review of What His Father Did, p. 1282; June 15, 1992, Karen Hutt, review of The Maya, pp. 1829-1830; April 1, 1994, Carolyn Phelan, review of One Foot Ashore, p. 1446; February 15, 1994, Ilene Cooper, review of The Chippewa, p. 1078; March 15, 1995, Linda Ward-Callaghan, review of Manabozho's Gifts, p. 1324; April, 1998, Denia Hester, review of Marie: Summer in the Country, France, 1775, p. 1319; January 1, 1999, Karen Hutt, review of Powwow: A Good Day to Dance, p. 865.

Book Report, September-October, 1994, Diane Peacock, review of One Foot Ashore, p. 37.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June, 1994, review of One Foot Ashore, p. 320; February, 1995, review of Manabozho's Gifts, p. 198.

Children's Bookwatch, February, 2001, review of Slavery in Ancient Greece and Rome, p. 2.

English Journal, January, 1988, review of The Leveller, p. 72.

Horn Book, August, 1984, Mary M. Burns, review of The Leveller, p. 474; May-June, 1992, Hanna B. Zeiger, review of What His Father Did, p. 346; July-August, 1994, Elizabeth S. Watson, review of One Foot Ashore, p. 451.

Horn Book Guide, fall, 1992, review of What His Father Did, p. 288; fall, 1994, review of One Foot Ashore, p. 310; spring, 1995, review of Manabozho's Gifts, p. 106; fall, 1998, review of The Tohono O'odham, p. 434; spring, 1999, review of Powwow, p. 154.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 1992, review of What His Father Did, p. 183; March 1, 1994, review of One Foot Ashore, p. 304.

Library Media Connection, September, 1994, review of One Foot Ashore, p. 37.

Multicultural Review, March, 1993, review of The Maya, p. 29.

New York Times Book Review, March 19, 1989, Eli N. Evans, review of Out of Many Waters, p. 24.

Publishers Weekly, February 10, 1992, review of What His Father Did, p. 81.

School Library Journal, November, 1984, Micki S. Nevett, review of Butchers and Bakers, Rabbis and Kings, p. 108; August, 1992, Marcia Posner, review of What His Father Did, pp. 151-152, 164; January, 1995, Jacqueline Elsner, review of Manabozho's Gifts, p. 118; August, 1997, Nancy Menaldi-Scanlon, review of Marie, p. 135; April, 1998, Anne Knickerbocker, review of Marie, p. 131; February, 1999, Darcy Schild, review of Powwow, p. 97; March, 2001, Ann Welton, review of Slavery in Ancient Greece and Rome, p. 266, Eunice Weech, review of Slavery in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, p. 266.

Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 1988, Susan Levine, review of Out of Many Waters, p. 238; June, 1994, review of One Foot Ashore, p. 82.

ONLINE

Jacqueline Dembar Greene Home Page, http://www.jdgbooks.com (October 3, 2005).