A Letter from Phoenix Farm (Meet the author) [Hardcover]

Jane Yolen (Author), Jason Stemple (Photographer)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Meet the author

An autobiographical account of the prominent author Jane Yolen and how her daily life and writing process are interwoven.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-- These autobiographical accounts read like conversations with familiar friends. The authors' words draw readers into their lives, and the excellent full-color photographs of home, working environment, and family help children participate in their worlds. Although each volume stands alone, the three of them reveal different approaches to writing and show how authors integrate their work and life in many ways. Rylant, for example, writes outside with pen and paper while Martin works at his computer. He travels frequently to tell stories while Yolen has reduced her travel because of other commitments. All three writers discuss not only their working routines but also their sources of ideas. Certainly these books would encourage children in their own creative activities. --Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MN
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Richard C Owen Pub (December 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878450360
• ISBN-13: 978-1878450364
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,269,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Jane Yolen on the writing life, August 22, 2009

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Letter from Phoenix Farm (Meet the author) (Hardcover)

Richard C. Owen Publishers came up with a great idea in their "Meet the Author" series of autobiographies for seven-to ten-year-olds. There are 35 autobiographies in total, and they are meant to give kids an inside view of the writing process. Text and full-color photographs invite young readers to see how their favorite authors turn ideas into books, and how they organize their writing days.

The 32-page "A Letter from Phoenix Farm" is by and about Jane Yolen, whose books and stories have won the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, the Golden Kite Award, the Jewish Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Association of Jewish Libraries Award, and the Nebraska and New York State Children's Book Awards.

Whew! This author doesn't just write for kids. I met her through her fantasies, Briar Rose and The Books of Great Alta: Comprising 'Sister Light, Sister Dark' and 'White Jenna'.

Yolen doesn't talk down to kids. She explains her writing life in detail, each page with a color photograph of the author at work, or walking along the Connecticut River and thinking of work. Since she also writes music, we see her at her piano in one photograph. At the end of this book, Yolen has included "A Poem Written for You" that starts out: "A book can be a passport/ To another time or place/ Where dinosaurs still roam the earth/ Or astronauts cross space."

I can't think of a better collection of books for children who are interested in writing their own stories.