Jan Brett: Author and Illustrator

By Bethany Little and Emma McMahan

Background

Born December 1, 1949 in Hingham MA

She knew she wanted to be an illustrator from the time she was in Kindergarten.

Went to Colby Junior College (now Colby-Sawyer College) 1968-1969

Attended Boston Museum of Fine Arts School in 1970

http://www.virtuebookpublishers.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/jan_with_three_elephants_400-300x200.jpg

Background Her first job was selling her

drawings; restaurant menus, science books, greeting cards, etc.

Member of Society of Children’s Book Writers

Currently lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Joseph Hearne. He plays the double bass with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Career Illustrated Woodland Crossings by Stephen

Kensky in 1978

Fritz and the Beautiful Horses was Brett’s first book that she wrote and illustrated Published in 1981

Has written and illustrated 31 books and only illustrated another 3 books Many of her books have also been translated into

other languages

Career

Spends around a year illustrating and writing each book

Each book is written and illustrated so that it takes the reader to a special world – “a personal world for me”

Traveled to over 30 different countries in order to do research for her books Example: traveled to Norway to learn about the

legend of trolls for the book Christmas Trolls

Distinction of work

Each page has beautiful illustrations. And every two pages has a border around it. These borders are full of extra illustrations that add detail to the story. They tell more about what the characters are doing. They also give clues to what will happen in the story.

"I also do borders because I have too many ideas.

Distinction of Work

Jan Brett Draws Hedgie

Writing Style She pays a lot of attention to detail All of her stories are about something or someone

being kind to someone else All of her work is fantasy Artwork is extremely detailed and almost all of

her pages are bored elaborately

“What I really wanted to do was to create the kind of book I had always been looking for when I was a child. A story that has characters who develop and with pictures that create a whole place, pictures you could almost step into."

Teaching with Jan Brett The Mitten – 1989There is a mitten that was

lost in the woods, lots of different animals climb into the mitten one by one, each getting larger than the next to keep warm during the winter. A fox, a bear and a badger are just a few of the animals. A little mouse climbing in the mitten at the last minute and tickles the bear’s nose. He sneezes and the mitten bursts.

Teaching With Jan Brett

Kindergarten age students will create masks that reflect the main characters (janbrett.com)

Using a giant blanket as the mitten, the students will reinact the story

The students will take turns reinacting the story and telling the rest of the class what happened

Students can also draw a story about a mitten in their own way.

Teaching with Jan Brett

The story is based on Ukrainian culture

The students will learn about another culture and how different places have different features, like the Ukraine is cold a lot.

The book also mention’s Nicki’s grandmother and how much she does for Nicki. The students could talk about someone that they are very close to in their family and why they are close.

Just a few…

Awards -Personal

1990: New England Booksellers Association - Artist Award Winner Bookweek New England

1993: David McCord Children's Literature Citation

1996: Fitchburg State College - Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa

2005: Boston Public Library - Lifetime Achievement Award

Book Awards  The New York Times - "Children's Picture Book Bestseller List" THE EASTER EGG 2010: Chicago Public Library - "Best of the Best Books of 2010" - The 3 LITTLE

DASSIES 2010: The New York Times - Children's Picture Book Bestseller List THE EASTER

EGG 2007: National Education Association - "Educators' Top One Hundred Children's

Books of 2007," THE MITTEN 2006: The New York Times - "Children's Picture Book Bestseller List" HEDGIE

BLASTS OFF! 2003-2004: "North Carolina Book Award Nomination" - DAISY COMES HOME 2003: The New York Times - Children's Picture Book Bestseller List ON NOAH'S ARK Publishers Weekly - Children's Top Ten Bestseller List ON NOAH'S ARK 2004-2005: California Young Reader Medal Nomination, DAISY COMES HOME Colorado Children's Book Award Nomination, 2003 DAISY COMES HOME The New York Times #1 Children's Picture Book Bestseller List, WHO'S THAT

KNOCKING ON CHRISTMAS EVE?, 2002 Georgia Children's Book Award Nomination 2002, HEDGIE'S SURPRISE The New York Times #1 Children's Picture Book Bestseller List, DAISY COMES HOME

Selected list of books The Hat The Mitten The Umbrella The Three Snow Bears Gingerbread Baby Town Mouse, Country

Mouse Daisy Comes Home The 3 Little Dassies The Easter Egg Honey-Honey Lion

On Noah’s Ark The Wild Christmas

Reindeer Christmas Trolls Fritz and the

Beautiful Horses Hedgie Blasts off Berlioz the Bear Gingerbread Friends Who’s that Knocking

on Christmas Eve?

References

Something About the Author. Ed. Donna Olendorf. Vol. 71. Detroit: Gale Research, 1993. P 29- 32.

100 Most Popular Picture Book Authors and Illustrators. McElmeel, Sharron L.

http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/articles/authorfocus/janbrett.html

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=1500