Jean Fritz
Jean Fritz
Jean Guttery Fritzis an American children's writer best known for American biography and history. She won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her career contribution to American children's literature in 1986. She turned 100 in November 2015...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionChildren's Author
Date of Birth16 November 1915
CityHankou, China
CountryUnited States of America
attracted british history learned left people regular schools social stressed studies taught wars
The way they taught history in schools was not appealing. They stressed wars and dates. They left the people out. I was attracted to history by the need to know about the people. In China, I went to a British school, and we just learned about kings and queens. Back in America, I had the regular social studies curriculum.
adventures begin behind detective pass places reached subject turn uncover visiting work
As a biographer, I try to uncover the adventures and personalities behind each character I research. Once my character and I have reached an understanding, then I begin the detective work reading old books, old letters, old newspapers, and visiting the places where my subject lived. Often I turn up surprises, and of course, I pass them on.
books bought exist historical lived mostly secret stories
When I lived in China, there were no libraries. My mother bought books for me, and they were mostly the classics. I read 'Peter Pan,' 'The Secret Garden,' the 'Rosemary' books, and Kipling's 'Just So' Stories was one of my favorites. No, I didn't read historical fiction. It didn't exist where I was growing up in China.