Author Profile: Jean Craighead George

Jean Craighead George

BIO

Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in a family of naturalists, Jean George has centered her life around writing and nature. She attended Pennsylvania State University, graduating with degrees in English and science. In the 1940s she was a member of the White House press corps and a reporter for The Washington Post. Ms. George, who has written over sixty books-among them My Side of the Mountain, a 1960 Newbery Honor Book, and its 1990 sequel On the Far Side of the Mountain (both Dutton)-also hikes, canoes, and makes sourdough pancakes. In 1991, Ms. George became the first winner of the School Library Media Section of the New York Library Association's Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature, which was presented to her for the "consistent superior quality" of her literary works.

Her inspiration for the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves evolved from two specific events during a summer she spent studying wolves and tundra at the Arctic Research Laboratory of Barrow, Alaska: "One was a small girl walking the vast and lonesome tundra outside of Barrow; the other was a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park.... They haunted me for a year or more as did the words of one of the scientists at the lab: 'If there ever was any doubt in my mind that a man could live with the wolves, it is gone now. The wolves are truly gentlemen, highly social and affectionate.' "

The mother of three children, Jean George is a grandmother who has joyfully read to her grandchildren since the time they were born. Over the years Jean George has kept one hundred and seventy-three pets, not including dogs and cats, in her home in Chappaqua, New York. "Most of these wild animals depart in autumn when the sun changes their behavior and they feel the urge to migrate or go off alone. While they are with us, however, they become characters in my books, articles, and stories."

INTERVIEW

TBB and BW writer Neysa Hess is a big fan of Jean Craighead George, author of many Young Adult books that take place in the wilderness, including the MOUNTAIN series featuring Sam Gribley. The most recent book in that series, FRIGHTFUL'S MOUNTAIN, is unique because it's written from Frightful, the falcon's point of view. In this interview, find out why George illustrates some of her own books, why she knows so much about falconry, how teens from the 1950s are different from teens today, and much more about her latest book and future projects.

TBB: You are quite a prolific author, I notice you've written over 80 books. How old were you when you started writing and when did you decide you wanted to become a writer?

JCG: I was eight years old and in the third grade when I began writing. I wrote
poems, then short stories. Although I was fascinated by putting words together to make scenes and people, and did it rather well, I did not dare believe I could be a writer until I was out of college.

TBB: Your new book, FRIGHTFUL'S MOUNTAIN, is the third of a series starting with MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN (1959) and ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN (1990). When you wrote the first book, did you have any idea this would be a series? Will there be a fourth?

JCG: I had no idea of writing a sequel to MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN when I finished it. At the time I thought it was complete; done. Sam's family had come to
him. Then came letters from young readers wanting to know more. After many,
many years I had experienced enough new adventures in the wilderness to
write a sequel --- and now, another! I don't think I'll write a fourth book --- but
I've been wrong before.

TBB: Your earliest book that my library had was VULPRES THE FOX (1948), which is beautifully illustrated by you. Your current books also contain maps and illustrations. How important are illustrations to your writing?

JCG: I have always loved to paint and draw and when I first started writing books
I illustrated them myself. Then an editor said to me that there were much better illustrators than I out there and I stepped into a new phase --- except for Sam's books, THE TARANTULA IN MY PURSE and WATER SKY. I felt I had deeper feelings and more knowledge than other artists for these books. A well-written book doesn't need illustrations, but illustrations are so rewarding. I wish adult books were still illustrated.

TBB: As I read MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, I could almost see this story as a movie, from your vivid descriptions. Have any of your books been made into movies, screen plays or animated movies? If not, which one would you most like to be made into a movie?

JCG: MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN was made into a film by Paramount Pictures in 1969. Theodore Bikel was Bando, Teddy Eckles, Sam.  JULIE OF THE WOLVES is now in pre-production. Doug Seus is training Amaroq, Silver and Nails right this minute. Kapu will take on his puppy role when he is born next June. Other books are under consideration by film companies, but it takes a clever production company to find a spotted owlet or a missing 'gator and work them into a film.

TBB: In all three MOUNTAIN books, your writing displays a solid knowledge of falcons and falconry. How did you get to know so much about falconry and the terminology used in their training?

JCG: I learned falconry from my brothers, John and Frank Craighead who were two of the first falconers in the United States. They taught me how to train my
kestrel to fly to my hand and catch mice for me. Great little bird. Fortunately, when I decided to write FRIGHTFUL'S MOUNTAIN, my agent, Perry Knowlton, had retired and become a falconer. I spent many hours with his beautiful birds trying to think like a falcon.

TBB: In the MOUNTAIN series, Sam Gribley used wild plants, roots and seeds to make his meals. What advice would you give to those who want to learn how to recognize safe, edible plants in the woods?

JCG:  Almost all plants are safe and edible, but not nutritious or tasty. The best
way to find the good ones is by using the Peterson field Guide to EDIBLE WILD PLANTS. You don't eat mushrooms, unless you're an expert, or poison ivy, pokeweed seeds, and the other things that are pretty obvious by their very smell and the tip of the tongue test. It's always good to check your wild harvest with the local nature center.

TBB: Sam's bright feisty sister, Alice is introduced in ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, and we see her in FRIGHTFUL'S MOUNTAIN also. Is there a chance that you would write more about Alice's story in future books?

JCG: Alice? Oh, yes. She has my granddaughter, Katie's, spirit and initiative.
Maybe I should write about her. Hmmm.

TBB: In FRIGHTFUL, the falcon gets burned when she sits on an electrical pole with close set wires. Has anything more been done to protect other birds from this fate since you wrote the book?

JCG: Nothing more has been done to protect birds from electrocution on utility
wires as far as I know. However, the American Falconry Association has
published an article about the problem in their monthly journal and it is hoped this will do some good.

TBB: One of the themes that run through your books is that wild animals are best left wild. What experiences in real life have helped you come to this conclusion?

JCG: I have learned the hard way that wild things are better off wild. One of my
pet crows dove at the eyes of a little girl who had teased him, and I quickly got rid of him. A pet raccoon, set free, was shot in the woods while walking fearlessly toward a hunter.

TBB: In your books, you show a keen understanding of preteens and teenagers. Do you base your characters on teens you know, or is it all imagination?

JCG: I was a teenager and I remember it well. It's a very creative time.

TBB: How do you think teens have changed from the '50s to now?

JCG: The only difference I can see between teenagers now and the '50s is that they are smarter. They also speak their minds more readily which is an improvement. I do think they get too much TV and would have more fun and learn more if they got their video cameras and made their own films.  They'd be a vast improvement over the fare I see.

JCG: This series of books focuses on a boy, Sam Gribley and his falcon, FRIGHTFUL, living off the land in the wilderness of the Catskill Mountains in New York State. Do you think girls can easily relate to Sam?

JCG: The thing both boys and girls like about Sam is that he is on his own, free
of parents, which every teenagers wishes, at least briefly once in a while,
could happen to him or her.

TBB: And in general, do you think teenage girls can relate to books about boys? Do you think boys can relate to books with girls as the main characters?

JCG: As a teenager I could relate to the protagonists in both boys and girls'
books. I liked the boys books better because they did more adventuresome
things. I can't speak for boys but they seem to like my book JULIE OF THE
WOLVES very much in which the protagonist is a girl. Maybe it's the out of
doors they relate to.

TBB: Are you working on anything new right now? If so, can you give us a sneak preview?

JCG: I am working on several books right now --- three picture books and another novel. I think teenagers and even their parents will get a kick out of HOW TO TALK TO YOUR DOG and HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CAT. Both will be published this spring. The novel? I'm going on a canoe trip into the Okefenokee Swamp to sop up the atmosphere, birds, 'gators, and suspense.

TBB: What writers have influenced you the most?

JCG: The writers who have influenced me most are Mark Twain, Rachel Carson, Theodore Roethke (poet), Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, and Edgar Allan Poe.

TBB: What books are you reading right now?

JCG: I am reading ENTWINED LIVES by Nancy L. Segal, and A STAR CALLED HENRY by Roddy Doyle.

TBB: What advice would you give to young writers?

JCG: My advice to young writers is read, go out into the world, meet people and
do things --- then write about them.

TBB: Where can teens contact you or learn more about your books, besides The Book Bag?

JCG: I have a web page jeancraigheadgeorge.com where teens can learn more about me. Also, a biography by Alice Cary, JEAN CRAIGHEAD GEORGE will help.

TBB: Any thoughts on the impending millennium?

JCG: Ahh, the millennium. I say to it "Welcome. I've been waiting for you!"