Jean Craighead George
July 2, 1919 - May 15, 2012
Jean Carolyn Craighead George was born into a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were all students of nature. On weekends they camped along the Potomac, gathered edible plants, climbed trees to study owls, and made fish hooks from twigs. She began to write in 3rd grade and never stopped. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 1941 from Pennsylvania State University, where she studied English and science. She later worked as a reporter in Washington, first for the International News Service, a forerunner of United Press International, and afterward for The Washington Post, where she wrote features about the White House. She wrote over 100 books for children and young adults. Common themes in her works are the environment, the natural world, and how humans interact with it.
"We humans will never know how meadows or mountains smell, but deer and horses and pigs do. Bando sniffs deeply and shakes his head. We were left out when it comes to smelling things, he says. I would love to be able to smell a mountain and follow my nose to it."
"I throw back my head, and, feeling free as the wind, breathe in the fresh mountain air. Although I am heavy-hearted, my spirits are rising. To walk in nature is always good medicine."
Nearly thirty stories, poems, and non-fiction pieces by such notable authors as Natalie Babbitt, Marilyn Sachs, and Jane Yolen illustrated by the likes of Steven Kellogg and Susan Jeffers, demonstrate some of the environmental problems now plaguing our planet.
Presents basic wilderness survival training and sustainability, including how to build a fire, find potable water, navigate by the stars, and identify poisonous plants.
Sixth-grader Liza K., one of five homeless people living in an unspoiled forest in souther Florida, searches for a missing alligator destined for official extermination and studies the delicate ecological balance keeping her outdoor home beautiful.
A collection of autobiographical stories about raising a houseful of children and wild pets including crows, skunks, and raccoons.
Alex enjoys kayaking behind the raft of his aunt and uncle as they journey down Idaho's Salmon River, until they find themselves in the middle of a forest fire.
Presents an environmental success story of the buffalo's return from near extinction that describes the contributions of the Native Americans, cowboys, and Teddy Roosevelt, as well as the rebuilding of herds in national parks.
For over a century, wolves were persecuted in the United States and nearly became extinct. Gradually reintroduced, they are thriving again in the West, much to the benefit of the ecosystem.
Twelve-year-old Maggie receives European fire bugs for her birthday, but when they fail to metamorphose and grow grossly large and explode instead, she uses scientific reasoning to determine the strange cause of their deaths.
A continuation of the story of Julie and her wolves, in which Kapu must protect his pack from famine and disease while uniting it under his new leadership.
