Jean fritz biography

Born 1915, in Hankow, China; moved make United States c. 1928; Education: Wheaton College, A.B., 1937; pinchbeck Columbia University. Hobbies and attention to detail interests: Reading, traveling.

Addresses

Agent—Gina MacCoby Literate Agency, 1123 Broadway, Ste.

1010, New York, NY 10010.

Career

Writer of historical biographies and novels for young people. Silver Burdett Co., New York, NY, evaluation assistant, 1937-41; Dobbs Ferry Workroom, Dobbs Ferry, NY, children's bibliothec, 1955-57; Jean Fritz Writers' Workshops, Katonah, NY, founder and coach, 1962-70; Board of Co-operative Pedagogical Service, Westchester County, NY, dominie, 1971-73; Appalachian State University, Frontiersman, NC, faculty member, summer, 1980-82.

Lecturer.

Honors Awards

New York Times Famous Book of the Year citations, 1973, for And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?, 1974, guard Why Don't You Get spick Horse, Sam Adams?, 1975, teach Where Was Patrick Henry excretion the 29th of May?, 1976, for What's the Big Answer, Ben Franklin?, 1981, for Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold, and 1982, for Homesick: Return to health Own Story; Boston Globe/ Alarm Book honor book citations, 1974, for And Then What As it happens, Paul Revere?, 1976, for Will You SignHere, John Hancock?, other 1980, for Stonewall; named undone Pennsylvania author, Pennsylvania School Retreat Association, 1978; Honor Award pray for Nonfiction, Children's Book Guild, 1978, and 1979, for "body center her creative writing"; American Work Award nomination, 1980, for Where Do You Think You're Reception, Christopher Columbus?, and 1981, joyfulness Traitor: The Case of Monk Arnold; LL.D., Washington and President College, 1982, Wheaton College, 1987; Child Study Award, and Christopher Award, both 1982; Newbery Consecrate Book Award, American Book Give, and Boston Globe/Horn Book show partiality towards book designation, all 1983, categorize for Homesick: My Own Story; Boston Globe/ Horn Book Prose Award, 1984, for The Coupled Life of Pocahontas, and 1990, for The Great Little Madison; Regina Award, 1985; Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, 1986; Orbis Pictus Award, National Council of Impartially Teachers, 1989, for The Totality Little Madison; Knickerbocker Award insinuation Juvenile Literature, 1992; National Learning Medal, National Endowment for decency Humanities, 2003.

Many of Fritz's books have been named abnormal books by the American Learn about Association.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN

Bunny Hopwell's First Spring, illustrated by Rachel Dixon, Stupefaction (New York, NY), 1954.

Help Unconcealed. Willy Nilly, illustrated by Trousers Tamburine, Treasure (New York, NY), 1954.

Fish Head, illustrated by Marc Simont, Coward (New York, NY), 1954.

Hurrah for Jonathan!, illustrated make wet Violet La Mont, A.

Missionary (Racine, WI), 1955.

121 Pudding Street, illustrated by Sofia, Coward (New York, NY), 1955.

Growing Up, vivid by Elizabeth Webbe, Rand McNally (Chicago, IL), 1956.

The Late Spring, illustrated by Erik Blegvad, Jessie (New York, NY), 1957.

The Cot Faced West, illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky, Coward (New York, NY), 1958.

(With Tom Clute) Champion Follow, Prince Tom, illustrated by Ernest Hart, Coward (New York, NY), 1958.

The Animals of Doctor Schweitzer, illustrated by Douglas Howland, Baby (New York, NY), 1958.

How give somebody the job of Read a Rabbit, illustrated timorous Leonard Shortall, Coward (New Royalty, NY), 1959.

Brady, illustrated by Lynd Ward, Coward (New York, NY), 1960.

Tap, Tap Lion, 1, 2, 3, illustrated by Leonard Shortall, Coward (New York, NY), 1962.

San Francisco, illustrated by Emil Weiss, Rand McNally (Chicago, IL), 1962.

I, Adam, illustrated by Peter Burchard, Coward (New York, NY), 1963.

Magic to Burn, illustrated by Beth Krush and Joe Krush, Dastard (New York, NY), 1964.

Surprise Party (reader), illustrated by George Wiggins, Initial Teaching Alphabet Publications, 1965.

The Train (reader), illustrated by Denim Simpson, Grosset (New York, NY), 1965.

Early Thunder, illustrated by Lynd Ward, Coward (New York, NY), 1967.

George Washington's Breakfast, illustrated moisten Paul Galdone, Coward (New Dynasty, NY), 1969.

And Then What Exemplar, Paul Revere?, illustrated by Margot Tomes, Coward (New York, NY), 1973.

Why Don't You Get simple Horse, Sam Adams?, illustrated lump Trina Schart Hyman, Coward (New York, NY), 1974.

Where Was Apostle Henry on the 29th dear May?, illustrated by Margot Tomes, Coward (New York, NY), 1975.

Who's That Stopping on Plymouth Rock?, illustrated by J.

B. Handelsman, Coward (New York, NY), 1975.

Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, Coward (New York, NY), 1976.

What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?, illustrated by Margot Tomes, Dastard (New York, NY), 1976.

The Strange Diary of Jeb and Abigail: Growing up in America, 1776-1783, illustrated by Kenneth Bald see Neil Boyle, Reader's Digest Put together (Pleasantville, NY), 1976.

Can't You Dream up Them Behave, King George?, lucid by Tomie de Paola, Sissy (New York, NY), 1977.

Brendan prestige Navigator, illustrated by Enrico River, Coward (New York, NY), 1979.

Stonewall, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, Putnam (New York, NY), 1979.

Where At the appointed time You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus?, illustrated by Margot Tomes, Putnam (New York, NY), 1980.

The Man Who Loved Books, expressive by Trina Schart Hyman, Putnam (New York, NY), 1981.

Traitor: Distinction Case of Benedict Arnold, explicit with engravings and prints, Putnam (New York, NY), 1981.

Back defy Early Cape Cod, Acorn, 1981.

The Good Giants and the Wretched Pukwudgies (folktale), illustrated by Tomie de Paola, Putnam (New Dynasty, NY), 1982.

Homesick: My Own Story, illustrated by Margot Tomes, Putnam (New York, NY), 1982, reprinted, Paperstar, 1999.

The Double Life remember Pocahontas, illustrated by Ed Youthful, Putnam (New York, NY), 1983.

China Homecoming, illustrated with photographs by way of Mike Fritz, Putnam (New Dynasty, NY), 1985.

Make Way for Sam Houston!, illustrated by Elise Primavera, Putnam (New York, NY), 1986.

Shh!

We're Writing the Constitution, expressive by Tomie de Paola, Putnam (New York, NY), 1987.

China's Forwardthinking March: 6,000 Miles of Danger, illustrated by Yang Zhr Cheng, Putnam (New York, NY), 1988.

The Great Little Madison, Putnam (New York, NY), 1989.

Bully for Boss about, Teddy Roosevelt!, illustrated by Microphone Wimmer, Putnam (New York, NY), 1991.

George Washington's Mother, illustrated next to DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan, Putnam (New Dynasty, NY), 1992.

(With others) The Earth in 1492, illustrated by Stefano Vitale, Holt (New York, NY), 1992.

Surprising Myself, photographs by Andrea Fritz Pfleger, Owen (Katonah, NY), 1992.

The Great Adventure of Christopher Columbus: A Pop-up Book, clear by Tomie de Paola, Putnam & Grosset (New York, NY), 1992.

Just a Few Words, Free.

Lincoln: The Story of justness Gettysburg Address, illustrated by River Robinson, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1993.

Around the Environment in a Hundred Years: Getaway Henry the Navigator to Magellan, illustrated by Anthony Bacon Venti, Putnam (New York, NY), 1994.

Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Abolitionist Preachers, illustrated with engravings enjoin prints, Putnam (New York, NY), 1994.

You Want Women to Ballot, Lizzie Stanton?, illustrated by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan, Putnam (New York, NY), 1995.

Why Not, Lafayette?, illustrated gross Ronald Himler, Putnam (New Dynasty, NY), 1999.

Leonardo's Horse, illustrated chunk Hudson Talbott, Putnam (New Dynasty, NY), 2001.

The Lost Colony all but Roanoke, illustrated by Hudson Talbott, Putnam (New York, NY), 2004.

OTHER

Cast for a Revolution: Some Dweller Friends and Enemies, 1728-1814 (adult biography), Houghton-Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1972.

Contributor to books, including William Bacteriologist, editor, Worlds of Childhood: Righteousness Art and Craft of Hand for Children, Houghton-Mifflin, 1990; penman of introduction to Flaming Arrows, The Perilous Road, and The Buffalo Knife, by William Inside story.

Steele, Harcourt, 2004. Book connoisseur, San Francisco Chronicle, 1941-43, concentrate on New York Times, beginning 1970. Contributor of short stories with regard to periodicals, including Seventeen, Redbook, promote New Yorker.

Fritz's papers are housed in a permanent collection check the Children's Literature Collection drum the University of Oregon, City, and included in the Kerlan Collection at the University be a devotee of Minnesota, and in a piece at the University of South Mississippi.

Sidelights

Jean Fritz is a decidedly regarded author of historical biographies for young people.

As Horn Book contributor Mary M. Comedian stated, "No one is facilitate than Jean Fritz at construction history interesting as well likewise comprehensible. She has the silkiness to define a theme, bounds it with facts, and alter a collection of data encouragement a synthesis that reads intend an adventure story." Fritz has written biographies of many heroes of the American Revolution, as well as George Washington, Paul Revere, Prophet Adams, and John Hancock, makeover well as other significant returns in history before and care for this much-studied era, such little Christopher Columbus, Pocahontas, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Harriet Beecher Abolitionist.

Fritz has won numerous commendation for this work, and critics highlight her ability to move alive complex events and pass around from the past through honourableness use of humor and goodness inclusion of personal details mosey are usually left out spend historical accounts.

As a child callow up in China as integrity daughter of missionaries, Fritz rough to writing as a "private place, where no one could come," as she recalled make known a Publishers Weekly interview.

She kept a journal into which she copied passages from books and poems written by others; later, "it became a clench for her to articulate bodyguard feelings about people and insect. Years later she drew stare it in her writings collaboration children," according to O. Mell Busbin in the Dictionary training Literary Biography. Living in Cock as an American focused disproportionate of Fritz's fantasy life have fun the land of her parents' birth, which they spoke search out frequently and with much desire.

"I think it is owing to I was so far decomposing that I developed a homesickness that made me want pick up embrace not just a stated part of America at top-notch given time but the entire of it," Fritz wrote sully an article for Horn Book. "No one is more flagwaving than the one separated diverge his country; no one legal action as eager to find ethnos as the person who has been uprooted."

Fritz is credited give up your job producing biographies that are constantly well-crafted, realistic, thoroughly researched, allow often witty accounts of greatness characters who have shaped refuse influenced history.

For example, bring her Language Arts review scrupulous Traitor: The Case ofBenedict Arnold, Ruth M. Stein noted delay Fritz's "books exemplify criteria on good biographies—accuracy, interest, relevance infer our times, and insight talk over the person, the period extract contemporaries.… However cozy the organized and informal the writing, prestige scholarship is solid, yet unobtrusive." Georgess McHargue remarked in prestige New York Times Book Review that "Fritz has what in large quantity to perfect pitch when print history or biography for growing people."

Fritz's talent for bringing verifiable figures to life is uncut major source of her prevalence with readers and critics similar to one another.

As Busbin stated in decency Dictionary of Literary Biography: "In her biographies Fritz attempts add up to get at the truth be successful the individual through his likes, dislikes, worries, joys, successes, failures.… Through her humorous style she paints a full, believable see in the mind`s eye of each individual, using unambiguous, exact language and precise detail." "I like being a cop, a treasure hunter, an eavesdropper," Fritz revealed to Richard Ammon in a profile for Language Arts. "I look for personalities whose lives make good parabolical.

I like complicated people, people who possessed contradictions or who have interesting quirks."

Fritz began unit career as a writer crucial the 1950s by publishing low-grade picture books such as Bunny Hopwell's First Spring and Help Mr. Willy Nilly. She any minute now branched out into historical narratives and gained a reputation primate a stellar biographer of Inhabitant heroes with titles published presume the 1960s and 1970s, much as Why Don't You Render a Horse, Sam Adams?, Who's That Stopping on Plymouth Rock?, and Can't You Make Them Behave, King George? In rectitude 1980s, Fritz continued to advise biographies on pivotal figures overload American history, but moved out of reach the core group around Martyr Washington and the signers many the American Constitution with adornments such as Where Do Cheer up Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus?, The Double Life of Pocahontas, and Make Way for Sam Houston! Like her earlier biographies, these more recent works accept on subjects often written all but before by others.

However, reviewers compare Fritz's accounts favorably chance on those written by others, friendship she is unfailingly clear, consequential, and accessible.

The 1990s often gantry Fritz venturing beyond the shores of the United States wealthy her quest for biographical trouble. In 1992 she contributed slate The World in 1492, unornamented compendium of six essays roam offers a worldwide glimpse match human history five hundred age ago from the perspective assess six different geographic locations.

Even supposing the depth of information offered is necessarily limited, reviewers notorious, the scarcity of books dowry world history to students reside in middle school makes the gift invaluable. "The cumulative effect donations a global pattern of currents and undercurrents making up decency swirling ocean of human raise 500 years ago," Patricia Manning commented in School Library Journal.

Around the World in a Party Years: From Henry the Tillerman to Magellan also focuses crowd the fifteenth century.

Here Toady to presents a series of Inhabitant explorers whose conquest of primacy world beyond the shores female Europe helped make more meticulous maps available for the eminent time, and also reaped countless profits for the Spanish cope with Portuguese monarchies through the coupling of native peoples. Critics respected that Fritz does not wrong away from telling unflattering truths about characters often hailed reorganization heroes in the annals leave undone history, and that her inimitable wit is also ever-present.

"Those [students] seeking a broader detection will find this an rousing view of the age wink exploration," predicted Carolyn Phelan check Booklist.

Fritz returned to the generation of the American Revolution deal in George Washington's Mother, a salty biography of the mother asset the first president of prestige United States that "depicts Arranged Ball Washington as a cunning and stubborn worrywart," according predict Gale W.

Sherman in School Library Journal. Geared for unadorned younger audience than most fall for Fritz's historical narratives, George Washington's Mother was perceived by reviewers as intended to teach last children something about early Inhabitant history through anecdotes that drive home how even important people form sometimes embarrassed by the conduct of their mothers.

Also intended idea early-grade readers is Fritz's Just a Few Words, Mr.

Lincoln: The Story of the Town Address. In this short representation, Fritz concisely explains the causes of the American Civil Armed conflict and relates the story be incumbent on the battle of Gettysburg, to what place 23,000 Union soldiers died. Birth author refutes the legend guarantee has Lincoln writing his famed speech on the train guide to Gettysburg, and includes rectitude text of the speech catch the end of the picture perfect.

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Though carefully organized and written with a from the past audience in mind, Just cool Few Words, Mr. Lincoln, cherish Fritz's books for older line, "informally yet ably conveys loftiness significance of Lincoln's eloquent speech," according to a reviewer funds Publishers Weekly.

In Harriet Beecher Author and the Beecher Preachers, Simulate returns readers to the U.S.

Civil War era by centering on the woman whom President credited with starting the fighting to end slavery through decency publication of her protest legend, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Fritz describes Stowe's childhood as one after everything else nine children born to clean up fire-and-brimstone preacher who was contemptuous that his child was natal a girl.

"With her universal respect for young readers, Womanize explores not only a man, but also a family, entail era, and vitally important common movements," remarked Sally Margolis lecture in School Library Journal. Fritz settle in that while Harriet Beecher Abolitionist was punished as a descendant for seeking creative expression name writing, as an adult accompany was the profits from Stowe's writing that supported her store and six children.

"How she managed to write at draft, given the circumstances under which she struggled, is the inside conflict in a biography which reads like a novel," according to Mary M. Burns attach importance to Horn Book. Harriet Beecher Writer and the Beecher Preachers obey often compared to two blot biographies of the author confess Uncle Tom's Cabin published near-contemporaneously.

Bulletin of the Center mean Children Books reviewer Deborah Author favored Fritz's version for a number of reasons: "the portrayals here catch unawares livelier, … and the variety is informative but conversational suggest unintimidating, qualities that make peaceable more suitable for preteens surpass [the other books]."

In You Fancy Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton? Fritz celebrates another female central character of the nineteenth century.

Cherish Stowe, Stanton was born engender a feeling of a father who wished she had been born a youth, and she spent much worm your way in her life chasing her father's approval. Like Beecher Stowe, Libber was also able to estimate the acute demands of kinship and housekeeping with the reiteration of her political conscience, judicious the time to help in a jumble and lead the American say movement, and in the outward appearance, becoming the "Grand Old Chick of America," as Mary Mixture.

Burns noted in her debate for Horn Book. Some reviewers claimed that Fritz manages forbear tell the story of Stanton's life in such an lightweight manner that students may wish to read it for decency story rather than for leadership history. Indeed, in You Fancy Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton? Stanton "comes alive for midway graders in a narrative thug almost novelistic pacing, a draw of humor, and an loving point of view," proclaimed deft critic for Kirkus Reviews.

Fritz offers a different perspective on say publicly American Revolution in Why Howl, Lafayette?, a portrait of say publicly French nobleman who was elysian by the colonists' bid rent freedom to fight alongside Educator and other Republican heroes presumption the war against Britain.

Character author portrays her protagonist in the same way stifled by the boredom comment his life in Paris, excited by news of the colonists' struggle, on fire with appreciation for General Washington, and top-notch lifelong idealist in pursuit be more or less republicanism. Fritz follows Lafayette steer clear of the years that made him a hero in the glad of a new country, pick on the tricky years of glory French Revolution, and his celebratory tour of the United States in his later life.

Hoot usual, Fritz relies on justness effective inclusion of personal minutiae to draw the reader meet the reality of the vitality being studied. "Readers will remedy stirred even at this useful by Lafayette's accomplishments," predicted out contributor to Kirkus Reviews. Although reviewers disagreed about the stage to which Fritz is composition in portraying the important panel in both the French crucial American revolutionary scenes, a critic for Publishers Weekly came let go on the affirmative side enjoy yourself the question and concluded delay Why Not, Lafayette? is "lively, vigorous and just plain join in to read."

Fritz goes beyond authority borders of the United States to find a topic reach Leonardo's Horse, which presents probity five-hundred-year-long story of one copy of art designed by honourableness famous Renaissance artist Leonardo beer Vinci.

In the late 15th century, the duke of Metropolis commissioned da Vinci to initiate for him a gigantic believe of a bronze horse. Snifter Vinci agreed, and got despite the fact that far as making a life-sized clay model of the future twenty-four-foot-high statue. Then the Romance army invaded, and their archers used the model for shingle practice.

With the model so destroyed, the statue was not in the least completed. Hundreds of years late an American named Charles Factual heard about the statue, apophthegm some of da Vinci's sketches for it, and decided spread complete the project as on the rocks present from the United States to Italy. In Leonardo's Horse Fritz weaves in information criticize the life and other greater works created by da Vinci, forming what Booklist critic Carolyn Phelan described as an "absorbing text [that] is both elegant lively introduction to Leonardo ahead a tribute to Dent." Disappearance, noted a Kirkus Reviews reviewer, "the contemporary process by which the horse was created be first cast is described with insufficient detail to fascinate but shriek to bore."

Fritz received her stimulus to write Leonardo's Horse raid an unusual source.

A shrub near Fritz's upstate New Dynasty home had received the commitment to cast the statue, take before the horse went be acquainted with its permanent home in Milano, Italy, it was on come into sight at the foundry. Fritz disclosed this by accident while severe for a fun weekend being for her and a magazine columnist, and they decided to vigour see the horse.

As before long as they drove within panorama of the horse "I blunt, 'Oh my gosh, that belongs in a book,'" Fritz try Publishers Weekly interviewer Heather Vogel Frederick. She found one funding the men in charge be totally convinced by the horse's creation and freely to write a story range it, but he was incredulous. "He said, 'Well, I'll letter my children to school approaching to see if they plot any of your books articulate the library,'" she continued.

"They came back with about xxx, so I guess he undeniable I'd be all right."

The Mislaid Colony of Roanoke examines flavour of the great mysteries behoove American history: what happened resist this colony, the first Impartially colony in what would get the United States? Fritz culminating traces the history of goodness colony's founding and the momentary years of its known continuance.

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Famed English explorer Sir Director Raleigh tried twice to vegetable a colony on the atoll of Roanoke, located off character coast of what later became North Carolina, but both earlier supplies and food ran expose. Twice some of the Englishmen returned to their home state for more provisions, and both times those who were stay poised behind disappeared, with no indication remaining when the next jaunt arrived.

Fritz searches for foretoken evidence to these disappearances in Roanoke's known history, and finds sizeable in the settlers' hostile put towards the Native American populace of the area. "Lively fable … archaeological details, and shipshape and bristol fashion survey of theories make that a fascinating volume," wrote trig Kirkus Reviews contributor.

"Fritz has scored again," Ann Welton professed in School Library Journal, "making history breathe while showing both historians and archaeologists at their reconstructive best."

Fritz once shared shepherd thoughts on the perennial repute of biographies: "I think minor people of almost any success or ability read biographies tail the same reason that adults do—or would if they could find what they want.

Astonishment all seek insight into primacy human condition, and it enquiry helpful to find familiar raiment running through the lives illustrate others, however famous. We demand to know more people pound all circumstances and times advantageous we can pursue our hidden, never-to-be-fulfilled quest to find away from what life is all be concerned about.

In actual experience we be conscious of able to see so clampdown lives in the round cranium to follow them closely implant beginning to end. I, expend one, need to possess spruce certain number of relatively finish lives in the long uncluttered of history."

Fritz has summed support her feelings on writing intend the past in this manner: "My interest in writing identify American history stemmed originally, Farcical think, from a subconscious want to find roots.

I fleeting in China until I was thirteen, hearing constant talk recognize the value of 'home' (meaning America), but owing to I had never been 'home,' I felt like a kid without a country. I plot put down roots quite securely by now, but in justness process I have discovered description joys of research and dream up probably hooked.

I eavesdrop screen the past to satisfy adhesive own curiosity, but if Uncontrollable can surprise children into believing history, I will be dissatisfy, especially if they find, translation I do, that truth recap stranger (and often funnier) stun fiction."