Arts & Culture

Beyond the Pages: Jean Craighead George

Get to work, Jean. Get to work.”

These words from a cheeky African gray parrot, and undoubtedly many other raucous animal noises, resounded throughout the house of Jean Carolyn Craighead George, bestselling author of My Side of the Mountain and Julie of the Wolves. Jean’s love for animals and nature is evident in each of her books, which focus on the environment and the beauty of wildlife. Throughout her lifetime, Jean kept over one hundred and seventy wild animals, not including cats and dogs; one of her many unconventional whims. Her love of exotic animals began at a young age, and in kindergarten, to her surprise, she discovered that she was the only student who possessed a turkey vulture.

Jean Carolyn Craighead was born July 2, 1919, in Washington D. C. and began writing in third grade. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1941 with degrees in both English and science. During WWII, she worked as a reporter for the Washington Post and also became a member of the White House Press Corps. In 1944, Jean married ornithologist John Lothar George, and he helped her with many of her first novels.

It’s no surprise that Jean grew up in a family of naturalists. Her father, Frank Craighead Sr., an ecologist and entomologist, frequently took his children camping along the Potomac River where they studied the plants and animals of the wilderness. Her twin brothers, who later made significant contributions to the studies of falconry and grizzly bears, gave Jean a falcon to train when she was thirteen years old. These events inspired Jean’s renowned book My Side of the Mountain, which tells the story of Sam Gribley, a teenage boy who leaves his home in New York to survive in the Catskill mountains. Sam’s adventures with his peregrine falcon, Frightful, inspire people to appreciate nature and become more friendly to the environment. Illustrated by Jean herself, the book tells an amazing tale that children who love wildlife will enjoy tremendously.

My Side of the Mountain is only one of Jean’s many books, which include novels, nonfiction, autobiographies, and books on cooking wild foods. Places and animals in Jean’s own life inspired each of her works. For example, Julie of the Wolves is the story of a young Eskimo girl who survives the tundra of Alaska by learning to communicate with wolves. When Jean Craighead George visited Barrow, Alaska with her son Craig, she learned to “talk” to wolves at a research lab there. Scientists at the lab had studied the wolves for some time and had broken their communication code, so they were able to converse with the creatures using gestures and postures. Fascinated by this, Jean went on to write the thrilling tale of Miyax, or Julie, the girl’s English name.

Jean’s children, Twig, Craig, and Luke, were greatly influenced by her and went on to become scientists, explorers, and writers. Even later on in her life, Jean continued to write and travel, getting new ideas for her books from her many adventures. As well as writing and traveling, Jean enjoyed painting, theater, modern dance, whitewater canoeing, and drawing. One newspaper article entitled “NEA’s Jean George Is ‘Quick As Camera,’” emphasized her remarkable quickness as she sketched political scenes for the White House Press Corps. Once, President Eisenhower autographed a sketch of himself drawn by Jean. Readers of her books admire Jean both for her excellent writing style and her amazing sketches of the animals and plants her characters encounter.

By 2012, Jean was ninety-two and had written over a hundred books throughout her lifetime. To the grief of her enthusiastic readers around the world, she died that year of congestive heart failure on May 15. However, Jean Craighead George’s books will remain beloved by children everywhere for their stories of adventure, beautiful descriptions, and emphasis on the wonders of nature.

 

 

Photo Credit:

https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/i1L9viKes9YhGD2ELvXm82HAZbc=/960×0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-bostonglobe.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6SHJ7JFATMI6DGM3BQN777PUB4.jpg

 

Sources:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Craighead_George

https://www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com/

https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Jean-Craighead-George/311383

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/books/jean-craighead-george-childrens-author-dies-at-92.html

https://biography.jrank.org/pages/2277/George-Jean-Craighead-1919.html

https://www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com/uploads/1/3/8/9/138945531/quick_as_a_camera.pdf

 

 

 

Comments are closed.