Yolen, Jane (Hyatt) 1939-

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YOLEN, Jane (Hyatt) 1939-

Personal

Born February 11, 1939, in New York, NY; daughter of Will Hyatt (an author and publicist) and Isabelle (a social worker, puzzle-maker, and homemaker; maiden name, Berlin) Yolen; married David W. Stemple (a professor of computer science and ornithologist), September 2, 1962; children: Heidi Elisabet, Adam Douglas, Jason Frederic. Education: Smith College, B.A., 1960; University of Massachusetts, M.Ed., 1976; completed course work for doctorate in children's literature at University of Massachusetts. Politics: Liberal Democrat. Religion: Jewish/Quaker. Hobbies and other interests: "Folk music and dancing, reading, camping, politics, all things Scottish."

Addresses

Home— Phoenix Farm, 31 School Street, Box 27, Hatfield, MA 01038; and Wayside, 96 Hepburn Gardens, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9LN, Scotland. Agent— Elizabeth Harding Curtis Brown Ltd., 10 Astor Place, New York, NY 10003. E-mail— [email protected].

Career

Saturday Review, New York, NY, production assistant, 1960-61; Gold Medal Books (publishers), New York, NY, assistant editor, 1961-62; Rutledge Books (publishers), New York, NY, associate editor, 1962-63; Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (publishers), New York, NY, assistant juvenile editor, 1963-65; full-time professional writer, beginning 1965. Editor of imprint Jane Yolen Books for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988-98. Teacher of writing and lecturer, 1966—; has taught children's literature at Smith College. Chairman of board of library trustees, Hatfield, MA, 1976-83; member of Hatfield Arts Council.

Member

International Kitefliers Association, Society of Children's Book Writers (member of board of directors, 1974—), Science Fiction Writers of America (president, 1986-88), Children's Literature Association (member of board of directors, 1977-79), Science Fiction Poetry Association, National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling, Western New England Storyteller's Guild (founder), Bay State Writers Guild, Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild (founder), Smith College Alumnae Association.

Awards, Honors

Boys' Club of America Junior Book Award, 1968, for The Minstrel and the Mountain; Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, 1968, for The Emperor and the Kite, and 1973, for The Girl Who Loved the Wind; Best Books of the Year selection, New York Times, 1968, for The Emperor Flies a Kite; World on a String: The Story of Kites was named an American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book, 1968; Chandler Book Talk Reward of Merit, 1970; Children's Book Showcase of the Children's Book Council citations, 1973, for The Girl Who Loved the Wind, and 1976, for The Little Spotted Fish; Golden Kite Award, Society of Children's Book Writers, 1974, ALA Notable Book, 1975, and National Book Award nomination, 1975, all for The Girl Who Cried Flowers and Other Tales; Golden Kite Honor Book, 1975, for The Transfigured Hart, and 1976, for The Moon Ribbon and Other Tales; Christopher Medal, 1978, for The Seeing Stick, and 2000, for How Do Dinosaurs Say Good-night?; Children's Choice, International Reading Association (IRA)/Children's Book Council (CBC), 1980, for Mice on Ice, and 1983, for Dragon's Blood; Parents' LL.D., College of Our Lady of the Elms (Chicopee, MA), 1981, and Smith College, 2003; Choice Awards, Parents' Choice Foundation, 1982, for Dragon's Blood, 1984, for The Stone Silenus, and 1989, for Piggins and The Three Bears Rhyme Book; School Library Journal Best Books for Young Adults citations, 1982, for The Gift of Sarah Barker, and 1985, for Heart's Blood; Garden State Children's Book Award, New Jersey Library Association, 1983, for Commander Toad in Space; CRABbery Award from Acton, MD, Public Library, 1983, for Dragon's Blood; Heart's Blood selected among ALA's Best Books for Young Adults, 1984; Mythopoeic Society Fantasy Award, 1984, for Cards of Grief, 1993, for Briar Rose, 1998, for "Young Merlin" trilogy; Daedelus Award, 1986; The Lullaby Songbook and The Sleeping Beauty selected among Child Study Association of America's Children's Books of the Year, 1987; World Fantasy Award, 1988, for Favorite Folktales from around the World; Parents' Choice Silver Seal Award, Jewish Book Council Award, and Association of Jewish Libraries Award, all 1988, Judy Lopez Honor Book, and Nebula Award finalist, both 1989, and Maude Hart Lovelace Award, 1996, all for The Devil's Arithmetic; Kerlan Award, 1988, for "singular achievements in the creation of children's literature"; Golden Sower Award, Nebraska Library Association, 1989, and Charlotte Award, New York State Reading Association, both for Piggins; Smith College Medal, 1990; Skylark Award, New England Science Fiction Association, 1990; Regina Medal, 1992, for body of writing; Keene State College Children's Literature Festival award, 1995; Storytelling World Award, 1997, for "The World the Devil Made Up"; honorary doctorate, Keene State College, 1998; Literary Light Award, Boston Library, 1998; Nebula Award for Best Short Story, 1997, for "Sister Emily's Lightship"; Nebula Award for Best Novelette, 1998, for "Lost Girls"; Anna V. Zarrow Award, 1999; Smith College Remarkable Women designation, 1999; National Outdoor Book Award, 2002, for Wild Wings; National Storytelling Network ORACLE Award, 2003; Writer Award, 2004. The Emperor and the Kite named a Caldecott Medal honor book, 1968, for illustrations by Ed Young; Owl Moon received the Caldecott Medal, 1988, for illustrations by John Schoenherr.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN; PICTURE BOOKS AND FICTION

The Witch Who Wasn't, illustrated by Arnold Roth, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1964.

Gwinellen, the Princess Who Could Not Sleep, illustrated by Ed Renfro, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1965.

The Emperor and the Kite, illustrated by Ed Young, World Publishing (Cleveland, OH), 1967, reprinted, Philomel (New York, NY), 1988.

The Minstrel and the Mountain: A Tale of Peace, illustrated by Anne Rockwell, World Publishing (Cleveland, OH), 1967.

Isabel's Noel, illustrated by Arnold Roth, Funk and Wagnalls (New York, NY), 1967.

Greyling: A Picture Story from the Islands of Shetland, illustrated by William Stobbs, World Publishing (Cleveland, OH), 1968, illustrated by David Ray, Philomel (New York, NY), 1991.

The Longest Name on the Block, illustrated by Peter Madden, Funk and Wagnalls (New York, NY), 1968.

The Wizard of Washington Square, illustrated by Ray Cruz, World Publishing (Cleveland, OH), 1969.

The Inway Investigators; or, The Mystery at McCracken's Place, illustrated by Allan Eitzen, Seabury (New York, NY), 1969.

Hobo Toad and the Motorcycle Gang, illustrated by Emily McCully, World Publishing (Cleveland, OH), 1970.

The Seventh Mandarin, illustrated by Ed Young, Seabury (New York, NY), 1970.

The Bird of Time, illustrated by Mercer Mayer, Crowell (New York, NY), 1971.

The Girl Who Loved the Wind, illustrated by Ed Young, Crowell (New York, NY), 1972.

The Girl Who Cried Flowers and Other Tales, illustrated by David Palladini, Crowell (New York, NY), 1974.

The Boy Who Had Wings, illustrated by Helga Aichinger, Crowell (New York, NY), 1974.

The Adventures of Eeka Mouse, illustrated by Myra McKee, Xerox Education Publications (Middletown, CT), 1974.

The Rainbow Rider, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Crowell (New York, NY), 1974.

The Little Spotted Fish, illustrated by Friso Henstra, Seabury (New York, NY), 1975.

The Transfigured Hart, illustrated by Donna Diamond, Crowell (New York, NY), 1975, reprinted, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1997.

Milkweed Days, photographs by Gabriel Amadeus Cooney, Crowell (New York, NY), 1976.

The Moon Ribbon and Other Tales, illustrated by David Palladini, Crowell (New York, NY), 1976, 1976.

The Seeing Stick, illustrated by Remy Charlip and Demetra Maraslis, Crowell (New York, NY), 1977.

The Sultan's Perfect Tree, illustrated by Barbara Garrison, Parents' Magazine Press (New York, NY), 1977.

The Hundredth Dove and Other Tales, illustrated by David Palladini, Crowell (New York, NY), 1977.

Hannah Dreaming, photographs by Alan R. Epstein, Museum of Fine Art (Springfield, MA), 1977.

The Lady and the Merman, illustrated by Barry Moser, Pennyroyal Press, 1977.

Spider Jane, illustrated by Stefan Bernath, Coward (New York, NY), 1978.

The Simple Prince, illustrated by Jack Kent, Parents' Magazine Press (New York, NY), 1978.

No Bath Tonight, illustrated by Nancy Winslow Parker, Crowell (New York, NY), 1978.

The Mermaid's Three Wisdoms, illustrated by Laura Rader, Collins (New York, NY), 1978.

Dream Weaver and Other Tales, illustrated by Michael Hague, Collins (New York, NY), 1979, published as Dream Weaver, 1989.

Spider Jane on the Move, illustrated by Stefan Bernath, Coward (New York, NY), 1980.

Mice on Ice, illustrated by Lawrence DiFiori, Dutton (New York, NY), 1980.

Shirlick Holmes and the Case of the Wandering Wardrobe, illustrated by Anthony Rao, Coward, 1981.

The Acorn Quest, illustrated by Susanna Natti, Harper (New York, NY), 1981.

Brothers of the Wind, illustrated by Barbara Berger, Philomel (New York, NY), 1981.

Sleeping Ugly, illustrated by Diane Stanley, Coward (New York, NY), 1981.

The Boy Who Spoke Chimp, illustrated by David Wiesner, Knopf (New York, NY), 1981.

Uncle Lemon's Spring, illustrated by Glen Rounds, Dutton (New York, NY), 1981.

(Reteller) The Sleeping Beauty, illustrated by Ruth Sanderson, Knopf (New York, NY), 1986.

Owl Moon, illustrated by John Schoenherr, Philomel (New York, NY), 1987.

Dove Isabeau, illustrated by Dennis Nolan, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1989.

Baby Bear's Bedtime Book, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1990.

Sky Dogs, illustrated by Barry Moser, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1990.

(Reteller) Tam Lin: An Old Ballad, illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1990.

Elfabet: An ABC of Elves, illustrated by Lauren Mills, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1990.

Letting Swift River Go, illustrated by Barbara Cooney, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1990.

The Dragon's Boy, Harper (New York, NY), 1990.

Wizard's Hall, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1991.

Hark! A Christmas Sampler, illustrated by Tomie dePaola, music by son, Adam Stemple, Putnam (New York, NY), 1991.

(Reteller) Wings, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1991.

All Those Secrets of the World (autobiographical fiction), illustrated by Leslie Baker, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1991.

Encounter, illustrated by David Shannon, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1992.

Eeny, Meeny, Miney Mole, illustrated by Kathryn Brown, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1992.

Mouse's Birthday, illustrated by Bruce Degen, Putnam (New York, NY), 1993.

Hands, illustrated by Chi Chung, Sundance Publishing, 1993.

Honkers, illustrated by Leslie Baker, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1993.

Travelers Rose, Putnam (New York, NY), 1993.

Beneath the Ghost Moon, illustrated by Laurel Molk, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1994.

Grandad Bill's Song, illustrated by Melissa Bay Mathis, Philomel (New York, NY), 1994.

And Twelve Chinese Acrobats, (autobiographical fiction), illustrated by Jean Gralley, Philomel (New York, NY), 1994.

Good Griselle, illustrated by David Christiana, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1994.

The Girl in the Golden Bower, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1994.

Old Dame Counterpane, illustrated by Ruth Tietjen Councell, Putnam (New York, NY), 1994.

(Reteller) Little Mouse and Elephant: A Tale from Turkey, illustrated by John Segal, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1994.

(Reteller) The Musicians of Bremen: A Tale from Germany, illustrated by John Segal, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1994.

The Ballad of the Pirate Queen, illustrated by David Shannon, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1995.

Before the Storm, illustrated by Georgia Pugh, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1995.

(Reteller) A Sip of Aesop, illustrated by Karen Barbour, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1995.

Merlin and the Dragons, illustrated by Ming Li, Dutton (New York, NY), 1995.

The Wild Hunt, illustrated by Francisco Mora, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1995.

(With daughter Heidi E. Y. Stemple) Meet the Monsters, illustrated by Patricia Ludlow, Walker (New York, NY), 1996.

Nocturne, illustrated by Anne Hunter, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1997.

Child of Faerie, Child of Earth, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1997.

Miz Berlin Walks, illustrated by Floyd Cooper, Philomel (New York, NY), 1997.

(Reteller) Once upon a Bedtime Story: Classic Tales, illustrated by Ruth Tietjen Councell, 1997.

The Sea Man, illustrated by Christopher Denise, Putnam (New York, NY), 1997.

Twelve Impossible Things before Breakfast (short stories), Harcourt (New York, NY), 1997.

House, House, illustrated with photographs by the Howes Brothers and son Jason Stemple, Marshall Cavendish (New York, NY), 1998.

King Long Shanks, illustrated by Victoria Chess, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1998.

(Reteller)Pegasus, the Flying Horse, illustrated by Ming Li, Dutton (New York, NY), 1998.

Raising Yoder's Barn, illustrated by Bernie Fuchs, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1998.

(Reteller) Prince of Egypt, Dutton (New York, NY), 1998.

(With Heidi E. Y. Stemple) Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery from History, illustrated by Roger Roth, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Moonball, illustrated by Greg Couch, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2000.

Off We Go!, illustrated by Laurel Molk, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2000.

Harvest Home, illustrated by Greg Shed, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Boots and the Seven Leaguers: A Rock-and-Troll Novel, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

(Editor) Sherwood: Original Stories from the World of Robin Hood, illustrated by Dennis Nolan, Philomel (New York, NY), 2000.

(Editor with daughter Heidi E. Y. Stemple, and author of introduction) Mirror, Mirror: Forty Folktales for Mothers and Daughters to Share, Viking (New York, NY), 2000.

(With Heidi E. Y. Stemple) The Wolf Girls: An Unsolved Mystery from History, illustrated by Roger Roth, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

Welcome to the River of Grass, illustrated by Laura Regan, Putnam (New York, NY), 2001.

The Hurrying Child, illustrated by Stephen T. Johnson, Silver Whistle (San Diego, CA), 2001.

(With Shulamith Oppenheim) The Fish Prince and Other Stories: Mermen Folk Tales, illustrated by Paul Hoffman, Interlink (New York, NY), 2001.

Time for Naps, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata, Little Simon (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Robert J. Harris) Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Robert J. Harris) Girl in a Cage, Philomel (New York, NY), 2002.

(Reteller) The Firebird, illustrated by Vladimir Vagan, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.

Bedtime for Bunny: A Book to Touch and Feel, illustrated by Lynn Norton Parker, Little Simon (New York, NY), 2002.

Animal Train, illustrated by Doug Cushman, Little Simon (New York, NY), 2002.

Sword of the Rightful King: A Novel of King Arthur, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2003.

(With Shulamith Oppenheim) The Sea King, illustrated by Stefan Czernecki, Crocodile Books (Brooklyn, NY), 2003.

(With Heidi E. Y. Stemple) Roanoke: An Unsolved Mystery from History, illustrated by Roger Roth, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

My Brother's Flying Machine: Wilbur, Orville, and Me, illustrated by Jim Burke, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2003.

Mightier than the Sword: World Folktales for Strong Boys, illustrated by Raul Colón, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2003.

How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2003.

Hoptoad, illustrated by Karen Lee Schmidt, Silver Whistle (San Diego, CA), 2003.

The Flying Witch, illustrated by Vladimir Vagin, Harper-Collins (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Robert J. Harris) Prince across the Waters, Philomel (New York, NY), 2004.

How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten?, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2004.

How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Room?, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Heidi Stemple) The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories, illustrated by Rebecca Guay, Barefoot Books (Cambridge, MA), 2004.

Soft House, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2005.

Meow: Cat Stories from around the World, illustrated by Hala Wittwer, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2005.

Grandma's Hurrying Child, illustrated by Kay Chorao, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2005.

Baby Bear's Chairs, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, 2005.

(With Adam Stemple) Apple for the Teacher: Thirty Songs for Singing while You Work, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 2005.

"GIANTS" SERIES; PICTURE BOOKS

The Giants Go Camping, illustrated by Tomie DePaola, Seabury (New York, NY), 1979.

The Giants' Farm, illustrated by Tomie DePaola, Seabury (New York, NY), 1997.

"COMMANDER TOAD" SERIES; FICTION

Commander Toad in Space, illustrated by Bruce Degen, Coward (New York, NY), 1980.

Commander Toad and the Planet of the Grapes, illustrated by Bruce Degen, Coward (New York, NY), 1982.

Commander Toad and the Big Black Hole, illustrated by Bruce Degen, Coward (New York, NY), 1983.

Commander Toad and the Dis-Asteroid, illustrated by Bruce Degen, Coward (New York, NY), 1985.

Commander Toad and the Intergalactic Spy, illustrated by Bruce Degen, Coward (New York, NY), 1986.

Commander Toad and the Space Pirates, illustrated by Bruce Degen, Putnam (New York, NY), 1987.

Commander Toad and the Voyage Home, illustrated by Bruce Degen, Putnam (New York, NY), 1998.

"ROBOT AND REBECCA" SERIES; FICTION

The Mystery of the Code-carrying Kids, illustrated by Jurg Obrist, Knopf (New York, NY), 1980, illustrated by Catherine Deeter, Random House (New York, NY), 1980.

The Robot and Rebecca and the Missing Owser, illustrated by Lady McCrady, Knopf (New York, NY), 1981.

"PIGGINS" SERIES; PICTURE BOOKS

Piggins, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1987.

Picnic with Piggins, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1988.

Piggins and the Royal Wedding, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1988.

"YOUNG MERLIN" SERIES; FICTION

Passager, Harcourt (San Diego, CA, 1996.

Hobby, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1996.

Merlin, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

The Young Merlin Trilogy (includes Pasager, Hobby, and Merlin ), Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2004.

"TARTAN MAGIC" SERIES; FICTION

The Wizard's Map, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1998.

The Pictish Child, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1999.

The Bagpiper's Ghost, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2002.

"YOUNG HEROES" SERIES; FICTION; WITH ROBERT J. HARRIS

Odysseus in the Serpent Maze, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Jason and the Gorgon's Blood, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

FOR CHILDREN; NONFICTION

Pirates in Petticoats, illustrated by Leonard Vosburgh, McKay (New York, NY), 1963.

World on a String: The Story of Kites, World Publishing (Cleveland, OH), 1968.

Friend: The Story of George Fox and the Quakers, Seabury (New York, NY), 1972.

(Editor with Barbara Green) The Fireside Song Book of Birds and Beasts, illustrated by Peter Parnall, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1972.

The Wizard Islands, illustrated by Robert Quackenbush, Crowell (New York, NY), 1973.

Ring Out! A Book of Bells, illustrated by Richard Cuffari, Seabury (New York, NY), 1974.

Simple Gifts: The Story of the Shakers, illustrated by Betty Fraser, Viking (New York, NY), 1976.

(Compiler) Rounds about Rounds, music by Barbara Green, illustrated by Gail Gibbons, Watts (New York, NY), 1977.

The Lap-Time Song and Play Book, musical arrangements by son Adam Stemple, illustrated by Margot Tomes, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1989.

A Letter from Phoenix Farm (autobiography), photographs by son Jason Stemple, Richard C. Owen (Katonah, NY), 1992.

Jane Yolen's Songs of Summer, musical arrangements by Adam Stemple, illustrated by Cyd Moore, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1993.

Welcome to the Green House, illustrated by Laura Regan, Putnam (New York, NY), 1993.

Jane Yolen's Old MacDonald Songbook, illustrated by Rosekrans Hoffman, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1994.

Sing Noel, musical arrangements by Adam Stemple, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1996.

Milk and Honey: A Year of Jewish Holidays, illustrations by Louise August, musical arrangements by Adam Stemple, Putnam (New York, NY), 1996.

Welcome to the Sea of Sand, illustrated by Laura Regan, Putnam (New York, NY), 1996.

Welcome to the Ice House, illustrated by Laura Regan, Putnam (New York, NY), 1998.

Tea with an Old Dragon: A Story of Sophia Smith, Founder of Smith College, illustrated by Monica Vachula, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1998.

The Perfect Wizard: Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Dennis Nolan, Dutton (New York, NY), 2004.

FOR CHILDREN; POETRY

See This Little Line?, illustrated by Kathleen Elgin, McKay (New York, NY), 1963.

It All Depends, illustrated by Don Bolognese, Funk and Wagnalls (New York, NY), 1970.

An Invitation to the Butterfly Ball: A Counting Rhyme, illustrated by Jane Breskin Zalben, Parents' Magazine Press (New York, NY), 1976.

How Beastly!: A Menagerie of Nonsense Poems, illustrated by James Marshall, Philomel (New York, NY), 1980.

Dragon Night and Other Lullabies, illustrated by Demi, Methuen (New York, NY), 1980.

(Editor) The Lullaby Songbook, musical arrangements by Adam Stemple, illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1986.

Ring of Earth: A Child's Book of Seasons, illustrated by John Wallner, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1986.

The Three Bears Rhyme Book, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1987.

Best Witches: Poems for Halloween, illustrated by Elise Primavera, Putnam (New York, NY), 1989.

Bird Watch, illustrated by Ted Lewin, Philomel (New York, NY), 1990.

Dinosaur Dances, illustrated by Bruce Degen, Putnam (New York, NY), 1990.

All in the Woodland Early: An ABC Book, illustrated by Jane Breskin Zalben, Collins (New York, NY), 1979, reprinted, Caroline House (Honesdale, PA), 1991.

An Invitation to the Butterfly Ball: A Counting Rhyme, illustrated by Jane Breskin Zalben, Caroline House, 1991.

(Compiler) Street Rhymes around the World, Wordsong (Honesdale, PA), 1992.

Jane Yolen's Mother Goose Songbook, musical arrangements by Adam Stemple, illustrated by Rosecrans Hoffman, Boyds Mill Press (Honesdale, PA), 1992.

(Compiler) Weather Report, illustrated by Annie Gusman, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1993.

Mouse's Birthday, illustrated by Bruce Degen, Putnam (New York, NY), 1993.

Raining Cats and Dogs, illustrated by Janet Street, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1993.

What Rhymes with Moon?, illustrated by Ruth Tietjen Councell, Philomel (New York, NY), 1993.

(Editor) Sleep Rhymes around the World, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1993.

(Compiler and contributor) Alphabestiary: Animal Poems from A to Z, illustrated by Allan Eitzen, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1994.

Sacred Places, illustrated by David Shannon, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1994.

Animal Fare: Zoological Nonsense Poems, illustrated by Janet Street, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1994.

The Three Bears Holiday Rhyme Book, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1995.

Water Music: Poems for Children, photographs by Jason Stemple, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1995.

(Compiler) Mother Earth, Father Sky: Poems of Our Planet, illustrated by Jennifer Hewitson, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1996.

O Jerusalem, illustrated by John Thompson, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.

Sea Watch: A Book of Poetry, illustrated by Ted Lewin, Putnam (New York, NY), 1996.

(Compiler and contributor) Sky Scrape/City Scape: Poems of City Life, illustrated by Ken Condon, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1996.

(Compiler) Once upon Ice and Other Frozen Poems, photographs by Jason Stemple, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1997.

Snow, Snow: Winter Poems for Children, photographs by Jason Stemple, Wordsong (Honesdale, PA), 1998.

The Originals: Animals That Time Forgot, illustrated by Ted Lewin, Philomel (New York, NY), 1998.

Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young People, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2000.

(With Heidi E. Y. Stemple) Dear Mother, Dear Daughter: Poems for Young People, illustrated by Gil Ashby, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2001.

Wild Wings: Poems for Young People, photographs by Jason Stemple, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2002.

Horizons: Poems as Far as the Eye Can See, photographs by Jason Stemple, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2002.

The Radiation Sonnets: For My Love, in Sickness and in Health, Algonquin Books (Chapel Hill, NC), 2003.

Least Things: Poems about Small Natures, photographs by Jason Stemple, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2003.

Fine Feathered Friends: Poems for Young People, photographs by Jason Stemple, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2004.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS; FICTION

(With Anne Huston) Trust a City Kid, illustrated by J. C. Kocsis, Lothrop (New York, NY), 1966.

(Editor) Zoo 2000: Twelve Stories of Science Fiction and Fantasy Beasts, Seabury (New York, NY), 1973.

The Magic Three of Solatia, illustrated by Julia Noonan, Crowell (New York, NY), 1974.

(Editor and contributor) Shape Shifters: Fantasy and Science Fiction Tales about Humans Who Can Change Their Shape, Seabury (New York, NY), 1978.

The Gift of Sarah Barker, Viking (New York, NY), 1981.

Neptune Rising: Songs and Tales of the Undersea Folk, (story collection), illustrated by David Wiesner, Philomel (New York, NY), 1982.

The Stone Silenus, Philomel (New York, NY), 1984.

Children of the Wolf, Viking (New York, NY), 1984.

(Editor and contributor with Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh) Dragons and Dreams, Harper (New York, NY), 1986.

(Editor and contributor with Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh) Spaceships and Spells, Harper (New York, NY), 1987.

The Devil's Arithmetic, Viking (New York, NY), 1988.

(Editor and contributor with Martin H. Greenberg) Werewolves: A Collection of Original Stories, Harper, 1988.

The Faery Flag: Stories and Poems of Fantasy and the Supernatural, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1989.

(Editor and contributor with Martin H. Greenberg) Things That Go Bump in the Night, Harper (New York, NY), 1989.

(Editor and contributor) 2041 AD: Twelve Stories about the Future by Top Science-Fiction Writers, (anthology), Delacorte (New York, NY), 1990.

(Editor and contributor with Martin H. Greenberg) Vampires, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1991.

Here There Be Dragons (stories and poetry), illustrated by David Wilgus, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1993.

Here There Be Unicorns (stories and poetry), illustrated by David Wilgus, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1994.

Here There Be Witches (stories and poetry), illustrated by David Wilgus, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1995.

(Editor and contributor) Camelot: A Collection of Original Arthurian Tales, illustrated by Winslow Pels, Putnam (New York, NY), 1995.

(Editor with Martin H. Greenberg, and contributor) The Haunted House: A Collection of Original Stories, illustrated by Doron Ben-Ami, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Here There Be Angels (stories and poetry), illustrated by David Wilgus, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1996.

Here There Be Ghosts (stories and poetry), illustrated by David Wilgus, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1998.

(With Bruce Coville) Armageddon Summer, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1998.

(With Adam Stemple) Pay the Piper, Tor (New York, NY), 2005.

(Editor with Patrick Nielsen Hayden) Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens, Tor (New York, NY), 2005.

"PIT DRAGON" SERIES; YOUNG-ADULT FICTION

Dragon's Blood: A Fantasy, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1982.

Heart's Blood, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1984.

A Sending of Dragons, illustrated by Tom McKeveny, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1987.

FOR ADULTS; FICTION

Merlin's Booke (short stories), illustrated by Thomas Canty, Ace Books (New York, NY), 1982.

Tales of Wonder (short stories), Schocken (New York, NY), 1983.

Cards of Grief (science fiction), Ace Books (New York, NY), 1984.

Dragonfield and Other Stories, Ace Books (New York, NY), 1985.

(Editor) Favorite Folktales from around the World, Pantheon (New York, NY), 1986.

Sword and the Stone, Pulphouse (Eugene, OR), 1991.

Briar Rose, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Storyteller, illustrated by Merle Insinga, New England Science Fiction Association Press (Cambridge, MA), 1992.

(Editor and contributor with Martin H. Greenberg) Xanadu, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1993.

(Editor and contributor with Martin H. Greenberg) Xanadu Two, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1994.

(Editor and contributor with Martin H. Greenberg) Xanadu Three, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1995.

The Books of Great Alta, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1997.

(Editor) Gray Heroes: Elder Tales from around the World, Viking Penguin (New York, NY), 1998.

Not One Damsel in Distress, Harcourt (New York, NY), 2000.

(With Heidi E. Y. Stemple) Mirror, Mirror, Viking (New York, NY), 2000.

(Editor and contributor) Sherwood: A Collection of Original Robin Hood Stories, illustrated by Dennis Nolan, Philomel (New York, NY), 2000.

(With Robert J. Harris) Queen's Own Fool, Philomel (New York, NY), 2000.

"WHITE JENNA" SERIES; ADULT FICTION

Sister Light, Sister Dark, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1988.

White Jenna, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1989.

The One-armed Queen, with music by Adam Stemple, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1998.

OTHER

Writing Books for Children, Writer (Boston, MA), 1973, revised edition, 1983.

Touch Magic: Fantasy, Faerie, and Folklore in the Literature of Childhood, Philomel (New York, NY), 1981, revised edition, August House, 2000.

Guide to Writing for Children, Writer (Boston, MA), 1989.

(Author of introduction) Robert D. San Souci, reteller, Cut from the Same Cloth: American Women of Myth, Legend, and Tall Tale, Philomel (New York, NY), 1993.

(With Nancy Willard) Among Angels (poetry), illustrated by S. Saelig Gallagher, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1995.

(Author of introduction) Best-Loved Stories Told at the National Storytelling Festival, National Storytelling Association, 1996.

(Author of introduction) Kathleen Ragan, Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales from around the World, Norton (New York, NY), 1998.

Take Joy: A Book for Writers, Writers Books (Waukesha, WI), 2003.

Also author of musical Robin Hood, music by Barbara Greene, produced in Boston, MA, 1967; author of chapbook The Whitethorn Wood. Ghostwriter of books for Rutledge Press. Contributor to books, including Dragons of Light, edited by Orson Scott Card, Ace Books, 1981; Elsewhere, 2 volumes, edited by Terri Windling and Mark Alan Arnold, Ace Books, 1981-1982; Hecate's Cauldron, edited by Susan Schwartz, DAW Books, 1982; Heroic Visions, edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Ace Books, 1983; Faery!, edited by Windling, Ace Books, 1985; Liavek, edited by Will Shetterly and Emma Bull, Ace Books, 1985; Moonsinger's Friends, edited by Schwartz, Bluejay, 1985; Imaginary Lands, edited by Robin McKinley, Greenwillow, 1985; Don't Bet on the Prince: Contemporary Feminist Fairy Tales in North America and England, edited by Jack Zipes, Methuen, 1986; Liavek: Players of Luck, edited by Shetterly and Bull, Ace Books, 1986; Liavek: Wizard's Row, edited by Shetterly and Bull, Ace Books, 1987; Visions, edited by Donald R. Gallo, Delacorte, 1987; Liavek: Spells of Binding, edited by Shetterly and Bull, Ace Books, 1988; Invitation to Camelot, edited by Parke Godwin, Ace Books, 1988; and The Unicorn Treasury, edited by Bruce Coville, Doubleday, 1988. Author of folk songs and lyrics.

Author of column "Children's Bookfare" for Daily Hampshire Gazette, c. 1970s. Contributor of articles, reviews, poems, and short stories to periodicals, including Chicago Jewish Forum, Horn Book, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Language Arts, Los Angeles Times, Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, New Advocate, New York Times, Parabola, Parents' Choice, Washington Post Book World, Wilson Library Bulletin, and Writer. Member of editorial board, Advocate (now New Advocate ) and National Storytelling Journal, until 1989.

Yolen's books have been published in Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Korea, Russia, and elsewhere.

Yolen's papers are housed at the Kerlan Collection, University of Minnesota.

Adaptations

The Seventh Mandarin was produced as a motion picture by Xerox Films, 1973; The Emperor and the Kitewas produced as a filmstrip with cassette by Listening Library, 1976; The Bird of Time was adapted into a play and produced in Northampton, MA, 1982; The Girl Who Cried Flowers and Other Tales was released on audio cassette by Weston Woods, 1983; Dragon's Blood was produced as an animated television movie by Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), 1985; Commander Toad in Space was released on audio cassette by Listening Library, 1986; Touch Magic . . . Pass It On, a selection of Yolen's short stories, was released on audio cassette by Weston Woods, 1987; Owl Moon was produced as a filmstrip with cassette by Weston Woods, 1988, and as both a read-along cassette and a video, 1990; Owl Moon was also adapted as part of the video Owl Moon and Other Stories, produced by Children's Circle; Piggins and Picnic with Piggins were released on audio cassette by Caedmon, 1988; Best of Science Fiction and Fantasy was released on audio cassette by NewStar Media, 1991; Merlin and the Dragons was released on audio cassette by Lightyear Entertainment, 1991, produced as a video by Coronet, 1991, and released as What's a Good Story? Merlin and the Dragon, with commentary by Yolen; Greyling was released on audio cassette by Spoken Arts, 1993; Hands was released on audio cassette by Sundance Publishing, 1993; Beneath the Ghost Moon was produced as a video by Spoken Arts, 1996; Wizard's Hall was released on audio cassette by "Words Take Wings,"narrated by Yolen, 1997; How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? was produced as a video, Weston Woods, 2002. Recorded Books issued audio cassettes of Briar Rose, The Devil's Arithmetic, and Good Griselle.

Work in Progress

A fourth novel in the "Pit Dragon" series; the picture book Count Me a Rhyme; the novel Rogue's Apprentice, with Robert J. Harris.

Sidelights

A prolific and highly esteemed author, Jane Yolen is the creator of hundreds of books for children, teens, and adults. Spanning genres from fiction and poetry to biography, criticism, and books on the art of writing, she is particularly well known for her history-based fiction, as well as fantasy novels such as those in her "Pit Dragon" series, which take place in a mythological world based around cockfighting dragons on an arid planet. A folksinger and storyteller, Yolen has created works that reflect her love of music and oral folklore, including compilations of international songs, rhymes, and stories. Several of the author's books are autobiographical or incorporate elements from her life or the lives of her family. Now grown, Yolen's three children all contribute to her works, daughter Heidi E. Y. Stemple as a writer and sons Adam and Jason Stemple as a musical arranger and photographer, respectively. She also writes both short stories and novels with her musician son.

Yolen is perhaps best known for creating original folk and fairy tales and fables that often contain a surprising twist and a strong moral core. She has received special recognition for her literary fairy tales, which combine familiar fantasy motifs with contemporary elements and philosophical themes. As a fantasist, she includes dragons, unicorns, witches, and mermaids as characters, and her stories often feature shape-shifters: animals who have the ability to transform into humans or humans into animals. As a writer, Yolen invests her works with images, symbols, and allusions as well as with wordplay—especially puns—and metaphors. She is considered an exceptional prose stylist whose fluid, musical writing is both polished and easy to read aloud. In Twentieth-Century Children's Writers, Marcia G. Fuchs commented: "Faerie, fiction, fact, or horrible fantasy, Yolen's lyrical and magical tales are indeed tales to read and to listen to, to share, to remember, and to pass on."

Born in New York City in 1939, Yolen bloomed as a writer early on. A voracious reader as well as a tomboy, she played games in Central Park while being encouraged in her reading and writing by her teachers. "I was," she recalled in Something about the Author Autobiography Series, "the gold star star. And I was also pretty impossibly full of myself. In first or second grade, I wrote the school musical, lyrics and music, in which everyone was some kind of vegetable. I played the lead carrot. Our finale was a salad. Another gold star."

Among her favorite books as a child were the folk stories collected by British folklorist in his colored fairy books, "as well as Treasure Island and the Louisa May Alcott books," as she once told Something about the Author (SATA ). "All of the Alcott books, Jo's Boys, and even the Alcott books that nobody else had heard of, became part of my adolescent reading. I read The Wind in the Willows and the Mowgli stories. We didn't have 'young adult' fiction, so I skipped right into adult books which tended to be very morose Russian novels—my Dostoevsky phase—then I got hooked on Joseph Conrad. Adventure novels or lugubrious emotional books are what I preferred. Then I went back into my fairy tale and fantasy stage. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, metaphysical and folkloric fantasy."

In sixth grade, Yolen was accepted by Hunter, a girls' school for what were called "intelligently gifted" students. The author said: "With my gold stars and my writing ability, I expected to be a superior gift to Hunter. To my surprise—and horror—I was barely in the middle of my class and managed to stay there by studying extremely hard." While at Hunter, music—especially folk songs, an interest she shared with her father—became her new interest. In addition to starring as Hansel in the school production of Engelbert Humperdinck's opera Hansel and Gretel, she played the piano, and wrote songs; she also became the lead dancer in her class at Balanchine's American School of Ballet.

In addition to her other achievements, Yolen also developed her interest in writing during her early teens, and in eighth grade she penned her first two books, a nonfiction book on pirates and a novel about a trip across the West by covered wagon. She described this work, which is seventeen pages long and includes a plague of locusts, death by snake bite, and the birth of a baby on the trail, as "a masterpiece of economy"; in fact, short stories and poetry continue to be her favored genres.

At age thirteen Yolen moved with her family to Westport, Connecticut, where she became captain of her high school girls' basketball team; news editor of the school paper; head of the Jewish Youth Group; vice president of the Spanish, Latin, and jazz clubs; a member of the school's top singing group; and a contributor to the school literary magazine. She also won a Scholastic Writing award, an essay contest called "I Speak for Democracy," and her school's English prize. Before graduation, her class named Yolen's voice to be part of "The Perfect Senior." She also became close to her cousin-in-law, Honey Knopp, who sparked Yolen's lifelong interest in the Quaker faith.

After graduating from high school, Yolen attended Smith College, where she majored in English and Russian literature and minored in religion. In addition to continuing her involvement in campus activities, she also continued her writing, and saw poems published in Poetry Digest as well as small literary magazines while a college student. Although poetry was in her soul, Yolen decided to become a journalist, and during the summer before her sophomore year she worked as a cub reporter for a Connecticut newspaper. Although she continued to intern for newspapers during the next few years, Yolen dismissed the idea of being a journalist when she found herself making up facts and writing stories off the top of her head; she also found that she was emotional when it came to interviewing the poor. "It became clear," she told SATA, "that I was a fiction writer."

After graduating from Smith, Yolen moved to New York City and worked briefly for This Week magazine and the Saturday Review before launching her career as a freelance writer by helping her father write his book The Young Sportsman's Guide to Kite Flying. While living in Greenwich Village in the summer of 1960, she met her future husband, David Stemple, who was a friend of one of her roommates; the couple were married in 1962.

Several years working for New York publishers followed, and then Yolen's father introduced her to the vice president of David McKay Publishing Company. Yolen's first book for children, the nonfiction title Pirates in Petticoats was accepted by Dobbs and published by McKay in 1963; Dobbs also bought Yolen's second work, See This Little Line?, a picture book in rhyme that was published the same year. While continuing to work in publishing, she became a ghostwriter for Rutledge Press, authoring concept and activity books published under different names. In 1963 she became an assistant editor in the children's department at Knopf, where she met authors and illustrators such as Roald Dahl and Roger Duvoisin and learned about juvenile literature.

In 1965 Yolen and her husband spent nine months traveling in Europe, Israel, and Greece. Her daughter, Heidi Stemple was born in 1966, shortly after her parents returned to America. When David Stemple took a job at the University of Massachusetts Computer Center in Amherst, he and Yolen moved to western Massachusetts, where son Adam Stemple was born in 1968 and Jason Stemple in 1970. While raising her children, Yolen began her writing career in earnest.

The picture book The Emperor and the Kite is the first of Yolen's books to receive a major award. The story outlines how Djeow Seow, the youngest and smallest daughter of an ancient Chinese emperor, saves her father after he is kidnapped by sending him a kite to which is attached a rope made of grass, vines, and strands of her hair. As a reviewer in Children's Book News commented, "Here is a writer who delights in words and can use them in a controlled way to beautiful effect." In 1968, The Emperor and the Kite earned Yolen her first Lewis Carroll Shelf Award; the second would come for The Girl Who Loved the Wind, in 1972.

Another early award winner was 1974's The Girl Who Cried Flowers and Other Tales, which won the Golden Kite Award and was nominated for the National Book Award in 1975. It is a collection of five stories that, according to a reviewer in Publishers Weekly, "could be called modern folk- or fairy tales, since they boast all the usual ingredients—supernatural beings, inexplicable happenings, the struggle between good and evil forces." The critic concluded that Yolen's "artistry with words . . . makes a striking book," while a critic in Kirkus Reviews called The Girl Who Cried Flowers a "showpiece, for those who can forego the tough wisdom of traditional fairy tales for a masterful imitation of the manner."

All in the Woodland Early, one of several song books authored by Yolen, teaches the alphabet through rhyming verses. The book outlines a little boy's hunting expedition in the woods; each letter represents the animal, bird, or insect—both familiar and unfamiliar—for which he is searching. At the end of the last verse, readers discover that the boy is gathering the animals to play with him and a little girl. Yolen also provides music to go with her words. Writing in the Washington Post Book World, Jerome Beatty, Jr., said: "Count on versatile Jane Yolen to invent something special and intriguing," while a reviewer for Publishers Weekly called All in the Woodland Early "an outstanding alphabet book." Other song books by Yolen include Apple for the Teacher and Jane Yolen's Songs of Summer, both of which include music by Adam Stemple.

Other highly praised picture books by Yolen include Harvest Home, a story about a farm family's wheat harvest that School Library Journal contributor Catherine Threadgill praised as a "reflective and respectful tribute to a bygone era"; Welcome to the River of Grass, which introduces young children to the Florida Everglades ecosystem; and My Brothers' Flying Machine: Wilbur, Orville, and Me, a story about the fathers of flight as told by their younger sister, Katherine. Her fascination with folk stories extends to Russia in several books, including The Flying Witch, a Baba Yaga story about an old woman who uses young children as a main ingredient in her evening meal, and The Firebird, a unique retelling of a classic Eastern European fable. More fanciful works include Hoptoad, about a foolish toad determined to cross a highway despite the warnings of his cold-blooded buddies, and How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?, one in a series of books that finds large, bulky dinosaurs dealing with common, child-sized problems while attempting to fit into a tiny, child-sized world. Other volumes in the series include How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? and How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Room?

Throughout her career Yolen has predominately alternated between books for the very young, poetry collections, and historical fiction and fantasy for older readers. Her historical novels often focus on an unusual subject, as in her novel The Gift of Sarah Barker. Set in a Shaker community, the story features teens Abel and Sarah, who have grown up in the Society of Believers, a celibate religious community, and now find that they are sexually attracted to each other. As the young people struggle with their feelings, Yolen depicts the contradiction between the religious ecstasy of the Shakers—whose dances and celebrations gave the group their nickname—and the repressive quality of their lifestyle. Sarah and Abel decide to leave the community, but not before Sister Agatha, Sarah's abusive mother, commits suicide. Writing in Children's Book Review Service, Barbara Baker called The Gift of Sarah Barker "an absorbing tale" and a "jewel of a historical novel," while Stephanie Zvirin noted in Booklist that, "Into the fabric of a teenage romance [Yolen] weaves complicated and disturbing—at times violent—undercurrents that add a dimension both powerful and provocative." Before writing Sarah Barker, Yolen interviewed some of the few remaining Shakers for background information. She also used her daughter, Heidi, who was then becoming interested in boys, as the prototype for Sarah. As the author once explained to SATA, "I kept wondering how, in a Shaker community, you could keep the boys away from a girl like Heidi or keep Heidi away from the boys. I imagined a Romeo and Juliet story within the Shaker setting."

Working in collaboration with Scots writer Robert J. Harris, Yolen has penned a number of novels based in Scottish history, one of Yolen's abiding interests—she makes her home in that part of Great Britain for part of each year. Queen's Own Fool recounts the tragic reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, from the viewpoint of her fool, Nicola. A French-born orphan, Nicola follows Mary from France to Scotland as Mary tries to gain her place as queen of Scotland while political power is fought over by a variety of Scottish nobles. Praising the novel in Kliatt, Claire Rosser wrote that Yolen is "someone who knows how to appeal to young people and keep a story moving swiftly."

In a similar fashion, the story of Bonny Prince Charlie is told from the point of view of a young recruit in Prince across the Water. Thirteen-year-old Highlander Duncan joins the rebels hoping to place the Scottish Prince Charles on the throne of England in the mid-1700s, and he loyally follows the call of his clan and his king until the massacre of Charlie's followers by British forces at the Battle of Culloden Field dashes Scots' hopes. Booklist reviewer Carolyn Phelan praised Prince across the Water for its "convincing depictions of people and relationships," while in Horn Book Anita L. Burkham dubbed it a "well-told story set in an intriguing era that will leave readers mulling over thoughts of war and peace."

Several of Yolen's more recent historical works have been in the area of nonfiction, as in the "Mystery from History" series, written with the author's daughter. In The Wolf Girls: An Unsolved Mystery from History, as in other volumes in the series, a fictional story is built around an actual incident that left many questions unanswered. The novel focuses on two orphaned girls living in India who, in the 1920s, were reportedly raised by wolves by missionary Joseph Singh, who ultimately gave the children a home. Noting the authors' inclusion of expert scientific evidence and a number of possible explanations for the girls' feral condition, School Library Journal reviewer Anne Chapman dubbed the book "tasty fodder for emerging detectives."

Other books in the series include Mary Celeste, about a ghost ship, Roanoke: The Lost Colony, and The Salem Witch Trials, the last about the hysteria that gripped the Massachusetts Bay colony during its early days. Although many books have been published that detail the frenzy caused by two girls over a supposed witch in their community, Yolen and Stemple's version "gives a different perspective" and by presenting the facts in an organized and impartial manner, lets young sleuths "evaluate the evidence and draw their own conclusions," according to School Library Journal contributor Elaine Fort Weischedel.

Dragon's Blood is the first volume in Yolen's "Pit Dragon" series. High fantasy for young adults that incorporates elements of science fiction, the series presents a completely realized imaginary world. Dragon's Blood introduces Jakkin, a fifteen-year-old slave boy whose master is the best dragon breeder on the planet Austar IV, a former penal colony where inhabitants train and fight dragons domesticated by the early colonists. Jakkin steals a female dragon hatchling to train in secret for the gaming pits, a cockfighting ritual that contributes largely to the planet's economy. Hoping to win his freedom by raising a superior fighting dragon, Jakkin establishes an amazing mental link with his "snatchling," which he names Heart's Blood. The story ends with the dragon's first win; Jakkin—now free—learns that his master knew about his theft and that Akki, a bond girl training in medicine whom Jakkin loves, is his master's illegitimate daughter. Writing in Horn Book, Ann A. Flowers called Dragon's Blood an "original and engrossing fantasy," while Patricia Manning wrote in School Library Journal that the novel provides a "fascinating glimpse of a brand new world."

A Sending of Dragons finds Jakkin and Akki avoiding capture by fleeing into the wilderness with Heart's Blood's five babies. When they enter a hidden tunnel, the group encounter an underground tribe of primitives who have discovered a way to extract metals on Austar IV. Jakkin and Akki also learn that these people, who, like them, are bonded to dragons, have developed a bloody, terrifying ritual of dragon sacrifice. At the end of the novel, Akki, Jakkin, and the fledglings escape with two of the primitive community's dragons. Confronted by their pursuers from above ground, they decide to return to the city and use their new knowledge to bring about an end to the feudalism and enslavement on Austar IV.

A reviewer in Publishers Weekly stated that "Yolen's tightly plotted, adventurous trilogy constitutes superb storytelling. She incorporates elements of freedom and rebellion, power and control, love and friendship in a masterfully crafted context of a society sick with perversion." Writing in School Library Journal, Michael Cart noted that, like the two volumes preceding it, the particular strengths of A Sending of Dragons include "the almost encyclopedic detail which Yolen has lavished upon her fully realized alternative world of Austar IV, in her sympathetic portrayal of the dragons as both victims and telepathic partners, and in the symbolic sub-text which enriches her narrative and reinforces her universal theme of the inter-dependency and unique value of all life forms." A fourth volume in the series was in the works for 2006.

One of Yolen's most highly acclaimed books combines history and fantasy. The Devil's Arithmetic, a young adult novel, is a time-travel fantasy that is rooted in one of the darkest episodes of history, the novel features Hannah Stern, a twelve-year-old Jewish girl who is transported from contemporary New York to rural Poland in 1942 when she opens the door for Elijah during her family's Seder celebration. Captured by the Nazis, Hannah—now called Chaya—is taken to a death camp, where she meets Rivka, a spirited young girl who teaches her to fight against the dehumanization of the camp and tells her that some must live to bear witness. When Rivka is chosen to be taken to the gas chamber, Chaya, in an act of self-sacrifice, goes in her place; as the doors of the gas chamber close, Chaya—now Hannah again—is returned to the door of her grandparents's apartment, waiting for Elijah. Hannah realizes that her Aunt Eva is her friend Rivka and that she also knew her grandfather in the camp.

A critic in Kirkus Reviews wrote of The Devil's Arithmetic: "Yolen is the author of a hundred books, many of which have been praised for their originality, humor, or poetic vision, but this thoughtful, compelling novel is unique among them." Writing in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Roger Sutton noted that Yolen's depiction of the horrors in the camp "is more graphic than any we've seen in holocaust fiction for children before." Confirming that Yolen has brought the "time travel convention to a new and ambitious level," Cynthia Samuels of the New York Times Book Review concluded that "sooner or later, all our children must know what happened in the days of the Holocaust. The Devil's Arithmetic offers an affecting way to begin."

Yolen, who has said that she wrote The Devil's Arithmetic for her own children, stated in her acceptance speech for the Sydney Taylor Book Award: "There are books one writes because they are a delight. There are books one writes because one is asked to. There are books one writes because . . . they are there. And there are books one writes simply because the book has to be written."

Calling Encounter an "unusual picture book," Carolyn Phelan noted in Booklist that "while the portrayal of Columbus as evil may strike traditionalists as heresy, he did hunger for gold, abduct native people, and ultimately (though unintentionally), destroy the Taino. This book effectively presents their point of view." Writing in the New Advocate, James C. Junhke called Encounter "among the most powerful and disturbing publications of the Columbus Quincentennial." Noting the "pioneering brilliance" of the book, the critic called Yolen's greatest achievement "the reversal of perspective. This book forces us to confront what a disaster it was for the Taino people to be discovered and destroyed by Europeans. Readers young and old will fervently wish never to be encountered by such 'strangers from the sky.'"

Writing in response to Junhke's review in the same publication, Yolen said, "If my book becomes a first step towards the exploration of the meeting between Columbus and the indigenous peoples—and its tragic aftermath—then it has done its work, whatever its flaws, perceived or real." The author concluded, "We cannot change history. But we—and most especially our children—can learn from it so that the next encounters, be they at home, abroad, or in space, may be gentler and mutually respectful. It is a large hope but it is, perhaps, all that we have."

Throughout her career, Yolen has woven bits and pieces of her personal history—and that of her family and friends—into her works. Several of the author's books are directly autobiographical. For example, All Those Secrets of the World, a picture book published in 1991, is set during the two years the author's father was away at war. Yolen recalls how, as a four year old, she watched her father depart by ship. The next day, the fictional Janie and her five-year-old cousin Michael see some tiny specks on the horizon while they are playing on the beach; the specks are ships. Michael teaches Janie a secret of the world, that as he moves farther away, he gets smaller. Two years later, when her father returns, Janie whispers Michael's secret after he tells her that she seems bigger: that when he was so far away, everything seemed smaller, but now that he is here, she is big. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly wrote that "Yolen here relates a bittersweet memory from an important period in her childhood.... This timely nostalgic story is told with simple grace, and Janie's thoughts and experiences are believably childlike." Phyllis G. Sidorsky, in School Library Journal, called All Those Secrets of the World an "affecting piece without an extraneous word and one that is particularly timely today."

Yolen's book And Twelve Chinese Acrobats is a tale for middle graders that is based on family stories about her father's older brother. Set in a Russian village in 1910, the book features Lou the Rascal, a charming troublemaker who keeps getting into scrapes. When Lou is sent to a military school in Kiev, the family—especially narrator Wolf, Lou's youngest brother (and Yolen's father)—is sad. Lou is eventually expelled from military school, and months later he surprises everyone by bringing home a troupe of twelve Chinese acrobats he met while working in a Moscow circus. The acrobats fascinate the locals with their descriptions of an exotic world far removed from the little village. When the acrobats leave the shtel in the spring, Lou's father, recognizing his son's managerial ability, sends him to America to find a place for the family.

Reviewing And Twelve Chinese Acrobats for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Betsy Hearne noted that "the relationship between the two brothers . . . lends an immediate dynamic to the historical setting," and concluded that the compressed narrative, brief chapters, spacious format, large print, and Jean Gralley's "vivaciously detailed pen-and-ink illustrations dancing across almost every page make this a prime choice for young readers venturing into historical fiction for the first time, or, for that matter, considering a probe into their own family stories." A critic in Kirkus Reviews called And Twelve Chinese Acrobats a book "radiating family warmth, in words, art, and remembrance."

In an article for Horn Book, Yolen stated: "As a writer I am the empress of thieves, taking characters like gargoyles off Parisian churches, the ki-lin (or unicorn) from China, swords in stones from the Celts, landscapes from the Taino people. I have pulled threads from magic tapestries to weave my own new cloth." The author concluded, "Children's literature is about growth. Just as we do not put heavy weights on our children's heads to stunt their growth, we should not put weights on our writers' heads. To do so is to stunt story forever. Stories go beyond race, beyond religion—even when they are about race and religion. The book speaks to individuals in an individual voice. But then it is taken into the reader's life and recreated, re-invigorated, re-visioned. That is what literature is about."

In her essay for SAAS, Yolen mused that her life, "like anyone else's is a patchwork of past and present....I just want to go on writing and discovering my stories for the rest of my life because I know that in my tales I make public what is private, transforming my own joy and sadness into tales for the people. The folk."

Biographical and Critical Sources

BOOKS

Authors and Artists for Young Adults, Volume 22, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1997.

Children's Books and Their Creators, edited by Anita Silvey, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1995, pp. 700-701.

Children's Literature Review, Gale (Detroit, MI), Volume 4, 1982, pp. 255-269, Volume 44, 1997, pp. 167-211.

Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 52: American Writers for Children since 1960: Fiction, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1986, pp. 398-405.

Drew, Bernard A., The One Hundred Most Popular Young Adult Authors, Libraries Unlimited, 1996.

Fourth Book of Junior Authors and Illustrators, edited by Doris de Montreville and Elizabeth D. Crawford, H. W. Wilson (New York, NY), 1978, pp. 356-357.

Roginski, Jim, Behind the Covers: Interviews with Authors and Illustrators of Books for Children and Young Adults, Libraries Unlimited, 1985.

St. James Guide to Fantasy Writers, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1996.

St. James Guide to Young Adult Writers, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1999.

Something about the Author Autobiography Series, Volume 4, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1987, pp. 327-346.

Twentieth-Century Children's Writers, 3rd edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1989, pp. 1075-1078.

Yolen, Jane, Guide to Writing for Children, Writer, 1989.

Yolen, Jane, Touch Magic: Fantasy, Faerie, and Folktale in the Literature of Childhood, Philomel (New York, NY), 1981.

PERIODICALS

Book Report, January-February, 2002, Anne Hanson, review of The Fish Prince and Other Stories, p. 74.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October, 1988, Roger Sutton, review of The Devil's Arithmetic, pp. 23-24; June, 1995, Betsy Hearne, review of And Twelve Chinese Acrobats, p. 365.

Children's Book News, January-February, 1970, review of The Emperor and the Kite, pp. 23-24.

Children's Book Review Service, December, 1973, Eleanor Von Schweinitz, review of The Girl Who Loved the Wind, pp. 172-73; June, 1981, Barbara Baker, review of The Gift of Sarah Barker, p. 100.

Horn Book, August, 1982, Ann A. Flowers, review of Dragon's Blood, pp. 418-19; April, 1984, Charlotte W. Draper, review of Heart's Blood, p. 206; November-December, 1994, Yolen, "An Empress of Thieves," pp. 702-705; January-February, 2003, Anita L. Burkam, review of Girl in a Cage, p. 86; March-April, 2003, Christine M. Hepperman, review of How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?, p. 208; May-June, 2003, Anita L. Burkham, review of Sword of the Rightful King, p. 359, and Susan Dove Lempke, review of Mightier than the Sword, p. 362; November-December, 2004, Anita L. Burkam, review of Prince across the Water, p. 72o.

Judaica Librarianship, spring, 1989-winter, 1990, Jane Yolen, transcript of acceptance speech for Sydney Taylor Book Award, pp. 52-53.

Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 1974, review of The Girl Who Cried Flowers and Other Tales, p. 741; August 15, 1988, review of The Devil's Arithmetic, p. 1248; April 15, 1995, review of And Twelve Chinese Acrobats, p. 564; September 15, 2991, review of Welcome to the River of Grass, p. 1372; January 1, 2002, review of Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons, p. 54; March 1, 2002, review of Wild Wings and The Bagpiper's Ghost, p. 349; May 1, 2002, review of The Firebird, p. 670; August 15, 2002, review of Girl in a Cage and Harvest Home, p. 1240; December 1, 2002, review of How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? and The Sea King, p. 1776; March 15, 2003, review of My Brothers' Flying Machine, p. 482; April 15, 2003, review of Mightier than the Sword, p. 614; May 1, 2003, review of Sword of the Rightful King, p. 686; May 15, 2003, review of Hoptoad, p. 758; June 15, 2993, review of Roanoke, p. 865; July 1, 2993, review of The Flying Witch, p. 917; September 1, 2003, review of Least Things, p. 1133; August 15, 2004, reveiw of The Salem Witch Trials, p. 815; September 15, 2004, review of Prince across the Water, p. 923; January 1, 2005, review of The Perfect Wizard: Hans Christian Andersen, p. 175.

Kliatt, March, 2002, Claire Rosser, review of Queen's Own Fool, p. 20; May, 2003, Claire Rosser, review of Sword of the Rightful King, p. 15; September, 2003, Stacey Conrad, review of Boots and the Seven Leaguers, p. 29.

Library Journal, June 15, 1972, Janet G. Polacheck, review of Friend: The Story of George Fox and the Quakers, p. 2245.

New Advocate, spring, 1993, James C. Juhnke and Jane Yolen, "An Exchange on Encounter," pp. 94-96.

New York Times Book Review, November 20, 1977, Jane Langton, review of The Hundredth Dove and Other Tales, p. 30; November 13, 1988, Cynthia Samuels, "Hannah Learns to Remember," p. 62; November 8, 1992, Noel Perrin, "Bulldozer Blues," p. 54; May 17, 1998.

Publishers Weekly, August 14, 1967, review of The Emperor and the Kite, p. 50; July 22, 1974, review of The Girl Who Cried Flowers and Other Tales, p. 70; January 11, 1980, review of All in the Woodland Early, p. 88; October 9, 1987, review of A Sending of Dragons, p. 90; March 22, 1991, review of All Those Secrets of the World, p. 80; June 15, 1998, p. 60; April 29, 2002, review of The Firebird, p. 68; February, 2003, Angela J. Reynolds, review of Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast, p. 150; March 24, 2003, review of My Brothers' Flying Machine, p. 75; April 14, 2003, review of Sword of the Rightful King, p. 72; July 7, 2003, review of The Radiation Sonnets, p. 60; August 4, 2003, review of The Flying Witch, p. 78; November 29, 2004, review of The Book of Ballads, p. 24' February 21, 2005, review of The Perfect Wizard, p. 175.

School Librarian, December, 1983, Pauline Thomas, review of Dragon's Blood, p. 384.

School Library Journal, March, 1973, Marilyn R. Singer, review of The Girl Who Loved the Wind, p. 102; December, 1980, review of Commander Toad in Space, p. 66; September, 1982, Patricia Manning, review of Dragon's Blood, p. 146; January, 1988, Michael Cart, review of A Sending of Dragons, pp. 87-88; July, 1991, Phyllis G. Sidorsky, review of All Those Secrets of the World, p. 66; March, 1998, p. 207; December, 2000, review of Color Me a Rhyme, p. 167; May, 2001, Cynthia J. Rieben, review of Mirror, Mirror, p. 178; July, 2001, Angela J. Reynolds, review of Odysseus in the Serpent Maze, p. 116; August, 2001, Anne Chapman, review of The Wolf Girls, p. 174; November, 2001, Margaret Bush, review of Welcome to the River of Grass, p. 153; March, 2002, Beth L. Meister, review of Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons, p. 240; March, 2002, Cherie Estes, review of The Bagpiper's Ghost, p. 240; June, 2002, Sharon Korbeck, review of Wild Wings, p. 127; June, 2002, Ellen Heath, review of The Firebird, p. 127; October, 2002, Nina Lindsay, review of Poems as Far as the Eye Can See, p. 152, and Starr E. Smith, review of Girl in a Cage, p. 178; November, 2002, Catherine Threadgilll, review of Harvest Home, p. 140, and Jessica Snow, review of Time for Naps, p. 142; February, 2003, Jody McCoy, review of How Do Dinosaurs GetWell Soon?, p. 126; March, 2003, Harriett Fargnoli, review of My Brothers' Flying Machine, p. 225; May, 2003, Miriam Lang Budin, review of Mightier than the Sword, p. 143; July, 2003, Margaret A. Chang, review of Sword of the Rightful King, p. 135; September, 2003, James K. Irwin, review of The Flying Witch, p. 208; October, 2003, Nancy Palmer, review of Roanoke, p. 157; October, 2003, Donna Cardon, review of Least Things, p. 157; February, 2004, Angela J. Reynolds, review of Jason and the Gorgon's Blood, p. 154; November, 2004, Elaine Fort Weischedel, review of The Salem Witch Trials, p. 174; December, 2004, Kimberly Monaghan, review of Prince across the Water, p. 154, and Susan Scheps, review of Fine Feathered Friends, and Carol Schene, review of The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories, p. 172.

Teaching and Learning Literature, November-December, 1996, Hopkins, Lee Bennett, "O Yolen: A Look at the Poetry of Jane Yolen," pp. 66-68.

Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 1997, p. 328.

Washington Post Book World, April 13, 1980, Jerome Beatty Jr., "Herds of Hungry Hogs Hurrying Home," p. 10.

ONLINE

Jane Yolen Web site, http://www.janeyolen.com (March 7, 2005).

OTHER

Children's Writer at Work: Jane Yolen (film), Reel Life, 1997.

Good Conversation: A Talk with Jane Yolen (film), Weston Woods, n.d.

Something About the Author

Yolen, Jane (Hyatt) 1939-

views updated May 21 2018

YOLEN, Jane (Hyatt) 1939-

PERSONAL: Born February 11, 1939, in New York, NY; daughter of Will Hyatt (an author and publicist) and Isabelle (a social worker, puzzle-maker, and homemaker; maiden name, Berlin) Yolen; married David W. Stemple (a retired professor of computer science and ornithologist), September 2, 1962; children: Heidi Elisabet, Adam Douglas, Jason Frederic. Education: Smith College, B.A., 1960; University of Massachusetts, M.Ed., 1976; also completed course work for doctorate in children's literature at the University of Massachusetts. Politics: Liberal Democrat. Religion: Jewish/Quaker. Hobbies and other interests: "Folk music and dancing, reading, camping, politics, all things Scottish."

ADDRESSES: Home—Phoenix Farm, 31 School St., Box 27, Hatfield, MA 01038, and Wayside, 96 Hepburn Gardens, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland KY16 9LN. Agent—Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown, Ltd., 10 Astor Place, New York, NY 10003. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Saturday Review, New York, NY, production assistant, 1960-61; Gold Medal Books (publishers), New York, NY, assistant editor, 1961-62; Rutledge Books (publishers), New York, NY, associate editor, 1962-63; Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (publishers), New York, NY, assistant juvenile editor, 1963-65; full-time professional writer, 1965—. Editor of imprint, Jane Yolen Books, for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988-98. Teacher of writing and lecturer, 1966—; has taught children's literature at Smith College. Chairman of board of library trustees, Hatfield, MA, 1976-83; member of Arts Council, Hatfield.

MEMBER: Society of Children's Book Writers (member of board of directors, 1974—), Science Fiction Writers of America (president, 1986-88), Children's Literature Association (member of board of directors, 1977-79), Science Fiction Poetry Association, National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling, Western New England Storyteller's Guild (founder), Bay State Writers Guild, Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild (founder), International Kitefliers Association, Smith College Alumnae Association.

AWARDS, HONORS: Boys' Club of America Junior Book Award, 1968, for The Minstrel and the Mountain; Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, 1968, for The Emperor and the Kite, and 1973, for The Girl Who Loved the Wind; Best Books of the Year selection, New York Times, 1968, for The Emperor Flies a Kite; World on a String: The Story of Kites was named an American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book, 1968; Chandler Book Talk Reward of Merit, 1970; Children's Book Showcase of the Children's Book Council citations, 1973, for The Girl Who Loved the Wind, and 1976, for The Little Spotted Fish; Golden Kite Award, Society of Children's Book Writers, 1974, ALA Notable Book, 1975, and National Book Award nomination, 1975, all for The Girl Who Cried Flowers and Other Tales; Golden Kite Honor Book, 1975, for The Transfigured Hart, and 1976, for The Moon Ribbon and Other Tales; Christopher Medal, 1978, for The Seeing Stick, and 2000, for How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?; Children's Choice from the International Reading Association and the Children's Book Council, 1980, for Mice on Ice, and 1983, for Dragon's Blood; LL.D., College of Our Lady of the Elms, 1981; Parents' Choice Awards, Parents' Choice Foundation, 1982, for Dragon's Blood, 1984, for The Stone Silenus, and 1989, for Piggins and The Three Bears Rhyme Book; School Library Journal Best Books for Young Adults citations, 1982, for The Gift of Sarah Barker, and 1985, for Heart's Blood; Garden State Children's Book Award, New Jersey Library Association, 1983, for Commander Toad in Space; CRABbery Award from Acton Public Library (MD), 1983, for Dragon's Blood; Heart's Blood was selected one of ALA's Best Books for Young Adults, 1984; Mythopoeic Society's Fantasy Award, Adult Novel, 1985, for Cards of Grief, 1993 for Briar Rose, and 1998 for children's novels The Young Merlin Trilogy: Passager, Hobby, Merlin; Daedelus Award, 1986, for fantasy and short fiction; The Lullaby Songbook and The Sleeping Beauty were each selected one of Child Study Association of America's Children's Books of the Year, 1987; World Fantasy Award, 1988, for Favorite Folktales from around the World; Kerlan Award for "singular achievements in the creation of children's literature," 1988; Parents' Choice Silver Seal Award, Jewish Book Council Award, and Sydney Taylor Award, all 1988, Golden Sower Award from the Nebraska Library Association, 1989, and Charlotte Award from New York State Reading Association, all for Piggins; Smith College Medal, 1990; Skylark Award, New England Science Fiction Association, 1990; Regina Medal for body of writing in children's literature, 1992; Mythopoetic Fantasy Award, Adult, 1993, for Briar Rose; Keene State College Children's Literature Festival Award, 1995 and Children's Book Award, 1998; Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 1996, for The Devil's Arithmetic; Nebula Award, Best Short Story, 1997, for Sister Emily's Lightship, and 1998, for Lost Girls; Literary Lights for Children Award, Boston Library, 1998; H.D.L., Keene State College, 1998; Anna V. Zarrow Award, 1999; Remarkable Women Award, 1999; California Young Reader Medal, young adult category, 2001, for Armageddon Summer; National Outdoor Book Awards, children's category, 2002, for Wild Wings; Network 2003 ORACLE Award for outstanding contributions to the literary body of storytelling, 2003; honorary doctorate, Smith College, 2003; Parents' Choice Gold Medal for Sword of the Rightful King, 2004; honorary doctorate, Bay Path College, 2004. Fifteen of Yolen's books have been selected by the Junior Literary Guild. In addition, The Emperor and the Kite was named a Caldecott Medal Honor Book, 1968, for its illustrations by Ed Young, and Owl Moon received the Caldecott Medal, 1988, for its illustrations by John Schoenherr.

WRITINGS:

FOR CHILDREN; PICTURE BOOKS AND FICTION

The Witch Who Wasn't, illustrated by Arnold Roth, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1964.

Gwinellen, the Princess Who Could Not Sleep, illustrated by Ed Renfro, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1965.

The Emperor and the Kite, illustrated by Ed Young, World Publishing (Cleveland, OH), 1967, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 1988.

The Minstrel and the Mountain: A Tale of Peace, illustrated by Anne Rockwell, World Publishing (Cleveland, OH), 1967.

Isabel's Noel, illustrated by Arnold Roth, Funk & Wagnalls (New York, NY), 1967.

Greyling: A Picture Story from the Islands of Shetland, illustrated by William Stobbs, World Publishing (Cleveland, OH), 1968, new edition, illustrated by David Ray; Philomel Books (New York, NY), 1991.

The Longest Name on the Block, illustrated by Peter Madden, Funk & Wagnalls (New York, NY), 1968.