Jeanne Birdsall

Jeanne Birdsall (born 1951) is an American writer of children's books. She is best known for her five-volume series about the Penderwick family. The Penderwicks, the first book in the series, won the 2005 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.[3]

Jeanne Birdsall
Jeanne Birdsall in 2009
Born1951 (age 68–69)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[1]
OccupationNovelist, photographer
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBoston University
California College of Arts and Crafts
Period2005–present
GenreChildren's literature, adventure novels
Notable worksThe Penderwicks
Notable awardsNational Book Award
2005
Children2 stepchildren[2]
Website
jeannebirdsall.com

Life

Birdsall was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in the suburbs. Birdsall has one sibling, a sister who is four years older than she. She decided to become a writer at the age of ten — but she didn't start until she was forty-one. She worked first on other jobs, most notably as a photographer, and some of her work has been displayed in galleries around the world. She has kept several pets, including dogs, cats, rabbits, and a snail.

As of 2005, Birdsall lives in a house that is "old and comfortable, full of unruly animals, and surrounded by gardens" in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Writer

Birdsall's first book was published when she was 54. The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy introduced the Penderwick sisters and won the 2005 National Book Award.[3] Her second book was a sequel, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street (2008). Her third book was The Penderwicks at Point Mouette (2011), followed by The Penderwicks in Spring (2015).[4] The fifth and final book in the series, The Penderwicks at Last, was published on May 15, 2018.[5]

Birdsall's first picture book, Flora's Very Windy Day, was illustrated by Matt Phelan and published under the Clarion Books imprint in August 2010. The third Penderwicks novel, The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, was released by Knopf on May 10, 2011.

Works
  • The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy (Alfred A. Knopf, 2005) —winner of the National Book Award[3]
  • The Penderwicks on Gardam Street (Knopf, 2008)
  • Flora's Very Windy Day (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin, 2010), children's picture book illustrated by Matt Phelan
  • The Penderwicks at Point Mouette (Knopf, 2011)
  • Lucky and Squash (Harper/HarperCollins, 2012), picture book illus. Jane Dyer
  • The Penderwicks in Spring (Knopf, 2015)
  • The Penderwicks At Last (Knopf, 2018)
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References
  1. "Allyn, 1988, Jeanne Birdsall". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 2013-09-27.
  2. Minzesheimer, Bob (December 26, 2005). "Birdsall's Secret: Listening Like A Kid". USA Today. Retrieved 2006-09-07.
  3. "National Book Awards – 2005". National Book Foundation (NBF). Retrieved 2012-04-15.
    (With acceptance speech by Birdsall, introduction by panelist Liz Rosenberg, and information about all five Young People's Literature authors and books.)
  4. "About the Penderwicks". Jeannne Birdsall (jeannebirdsall.com). Retrieved 2008-06-16
  5. "Children's Book Review: The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall. Knopf, $16.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-385-75566-5". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
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