Jean Fritz
Encyclopedia
Jean Guttery Fritz, born November 16, 1915, is an American
children's author and biographer.
with her parents when she was in the eighth grade. She graduated in 1937 from Wheaton College
. In 1941, she married Michael Fritz. They had two children, David and Andrea. She currently lives in Dobbs Ferry, New York
.
magazine in the early 1950s. In 1954, her first book, Bunny Hopwell's First Spring, was published, followed in 1955 by 121 Pudding Street, a work based on her children. She often wrote Westerns or stories of frontier America because her father told her stories of American heroes as she was growing up. Her first historical novel for children was The Cabin Faced West
. She published her autobiography, Homesick, My Own Story, in 1982 and won the Newbery Honor citation the following year. Her writings for children earned her the 1986 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
children's author and biographer.
Life
Jean Fritz was born to American missionaries in Hankow, China, where she lived until she was thirteen. She was an only child (a sister, Miriam, was born when Fritz was 11, but died a week after her birth). Growing up, Fritz kept a journal about her days in China with Lin Nai-Nai (her amah). She moved to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with her parents when she was in the eighth grade. She graduated in 1937 from Wheaton College
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Wheaton College is a four-year, private liberal arts college with an approximate student body of 1,550. Wheaton's residential campus is located in Norton, Massachusetts, between Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1834 as a female seminary, it is one of the oldest...
. In 1941, she married Michael Fritz. They had two children, David and Andrea. She currently lives in Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 at the 2010 census.The Village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a part of, the town of Greenburgh...
.
Works
Fritz's writing career started with the publication of several short stories in Humpty DumptyChildren's Digest
Children's Digest was a children's magazine published from Oct. 1950 to May/June 2009, after which it was merged with Jack and Jill from the same publisher. For over 20 years it was published in the digest size implied by its name, but it subsequently switched to a larger format more similar to...
magazine in the early 1950s. In 1954, her first book, Bunny Hopwell's First Spring, was published, followed in 1955 by 121 Pudding Street, a work based on her children. She often wrote Westerns or stories of frontier America because her father told her stories of American heroes as she was growing up. Her first historical novel for children was The Cabin Faced West
The Cabin Faced West
The Cabin Faced West is an historical children's novel by the American writer Jean Fritz.Set in 1784 on Hamilton Hill, Washington County, Pennsylvania, near the Monongahela River some 20 miles south of Pittsburgh, this historical novel for children features ten-year-old Ann Hamilton...
. She published her autobiography, Homesick, My Own Story, in 1982 and won the Newbery Honor citation the following year. Her writings for children earned her the 1986 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal is a prize awarded by the American Library Association to writers or illustrators of children's books published in the United States who have over a period of years made substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature...
.
List of titles
- 121 Pudding Street
- And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
- Around the World in a Hundred Years
- Brady
- Brendan the Navigator, the History Mystery about the Discovery of America
- Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt
- The Cabin Faced West
- Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
- China's Long March: 6,000 Miles of Danger
- The Double Life of Pocahontas
- Early Thunder
- Meow
- George Washington's Breakfast
- The Great Little Madison
- Homesick, My Own Story
- Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln
- Leonardo's Horse
- The Lost Colony of Roanoke
- Mk
- Shh! We're Writing the Constitution
- Stonewall
- Surprising Myself
- Traitor: the Case of Benedict Arnold
- What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?
- Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus?
- Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May?
- Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock?
- Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?
- Why Not Lafayette?
- Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?
- You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton?