Jan Boyer Wahl (April 1, 1931 - January 29, 2019) was an American children's author. He was a prolific author of over 120 works, and was known primarily for his award-winning

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

, including ''Pleasant Fieldmouse'', ''The Furious Flycycle'', and ''Humphrey's Bear''. Wahl sometimes jokingly referred to himself as "Dr. Mouse," a nickname given him by a young fan.

Personal and Background

Jan (pronounced "Yahn") Wahl was born in Columbus,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. His father was physician Russell Rothenburger, and his mother was Nina Marie Boyer Wahl. He had five brothers. Wahl contended that his brother Phil Wahl's exploits shooting commercials in Japan was part of the real-life inspirations for the character played by

Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian, known for his deadpan delivery in roles ranging from studio comedies to independent dramas. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Bill Murra ...

in the film Lost In Translation (2003), directed by

Sofia Coppola Sofia Carmina Coppola ( , ; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and former actress. She has List of awards and nominations received by Sofia Coppola, won an Academy Awards, Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, a Golden Lion, and a Can ...

. Phil Wahl was once manager of the

Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta National, Augusta, or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. It is known for hosting the annual Masters Tournament. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Rob ...

. Another brother, Robert C. Wahl, also authored novels and children's books. As a child he played piano on a radio program called ''The Kiddies Karnival;'' the show also featured singer/actress

Teresa Brewer Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of th ...

. In addition, he once appeared at the Toledo Town Hall theater with the legendary magician Harry Blackstone Sr. He received a B.A. from Cornell University in 1953 where he took classes from

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov ( ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian and American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born in Imperial Russia in 1899, Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Rus ...

. His Graduate studies were at the University of Copenhagen (Fulbright scholar, 1953-1954) and the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

(M.A., 1958). During his studies he wrote plays that were produced (such as ''Paradiso! Paradiso!'') and short stories (such as the award-winning ''Seven Old Maids''). After many years in parts of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and then

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, Wahl made his home in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

. He died on January 29, 2019 from complications of metastatic cancer.

Professional

Wahl's career was both varied and adventurous. He began authoring and publishing children's books in 1964, achieving both artistic and commercial success immediately with the now classic books ''Pleasant Fieldmouse'', ''Cabbage Moon'', ''Cobweb Castle'', and others. Noted artists such as John Alcorn (artist),

Edward Gorey Edward St. John Gorey (February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an Americans, American writer, Tony Awards, Tony Award-winning costume designer, and artist, noted for his own illustrated books as well as cover art and illustration for book ...

, Steven Kellog,

Mercer Mayer Mercer Mayer (born December 30, 1943) is an American children's author and illustrator. He has published over 300 books, using a wide range of illustrative styles. Mayer is best known for his '' Little Critter'' and '' Little Monster'' series o ...

Norman Rockwell Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...

Maurice Sendak Maurice Bernard Sendak (; June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. Born to Polish-Jewish parents, his childhood was impacted by the death of many of his family members during the Holocaust. Send ...

, and others illustrated his picture books. He soon added story books to his output with the provocative ''How The Children Stopped The Wars''. Wahl quickly developed a reputation for playful, empowering narratives with intriguing characters. Over time, his works demonstrated mastery of a wide variety of topics and styles. He gave many readings and presentations of his books as well as lecturing on writing. ''Hedy and Her Amazing Invention'' (2019); the story of actress Hedy Lamarr's co-invention of what is now known as

Frequency-hopping spread spectrum Frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) is a method of transmitting radio signals by rapidly changing the carrier frequency among many frequencies occupying a large spectral band. The changes are controlled by a code known to both transmitter ...

is his latest publication. Forthcoming in 2025 is ''Movie Girls: Lillian and Dorothy'', the story of how the Gish Sisters met

Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...

and D.W. Griffith and began acting in motion pictures. It is illustrated by Rick Geary. Included among his other exploits was spending several months working with noted filmmaker

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history, his movies are noted for emotional austerity ...

during the filming of

Ordet ''Ordet'' (, meaning " The Word" and originally released as ''The Word'' in English) is a 1955 Danish drama film, written and directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. It is based on a play by Kaj Munk, a Danish Lutheran priest, first performed in 1932. ...

(The Word); the story of which Wahl recounted in the book ''Carl Theodore Dreyer and Ordet''. Later he was the personal secretary to

Isak Dinesen Baroness Karen Christentze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countries; Ta ...

(Karen Blixen) as she worked on what became Last Tales. He was also involved with Keith Lampe in the early days of the

Yippies The Youth International Party (YIP), whose members were commonly called Yippies, was an American youth-oriented Radical politics, radical and Counterculture, countercultural revolutionary offshoot of the Free Speech Movement, free speech and an ...

. In addition, he befriended actress

Louise Brooks Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985) was an American film actress during the 1920s and 1930s. She is regarded today as an cultural icon, icon of the flapper culture, in part due to the bob cut, bob hairstyle that she helped ...

and some of his correspondence with Brooks was collected in the volume ''Dear Stinkpot: Letters from Louise Brooks''. While in Mexico, he was an on-set script doctor (uncredited) for The Wrath of God (1972) starring

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He is known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. He received nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He received a star on the Holl ...

and

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and Pin-up model, pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of ...

during its filming. Later, he was also an early consultant on what became

Fraggle Rock ''Fraggle Rock'' (also known as ''Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock'' or ''Fraggle Rock with Jim Henson's Muppets'') is a children's Musical film, musical Fantasy film, fantasy television comedy, comedy puppet television series about interconnected so ...

. In addition, Wahl was well known as a film historian and collector of films and film history related artifacts and gave lectures and presentations for numerous venues over many years. On March 15, 1996,

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

Bowling Green, Ohio Bowling Green is a city in Wood County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 30,808 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, it is part of the Toledo metropolitan area and ...

awarded Wahl the honorary degree Doctor of Letters in recognition of his continuing work in children's literature and in the history of film.Steen, Nancy. "MS 69 - Jan Wahl Collection,
''Bowling Green State University Library Finding Aids''
Accessed July 7, 2014. Around that time he began presenting introductory lectures for the Sunday Classic Film Series at the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Film Theater and Gallery at BGSU, with over one-hundred-fifty presentations to his credit there through the Spring Semester of 2018 when the series ended. Most of the programs consisted of films from his private collection.

Published works

Note: Many of Wahl's works have been republished, some multiple times. Only special instances have been noted here. Several volumes have also been published in Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish language editions. The following lists, though extensive, are not necessarily complete.

Picture books

1960s

* ''The Beast Book'' (1964) * ''Hello Elephant'' (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964) illustrated by Edward Ardizzone * ''The Howards Go Sledding'' (1964) * ''Cabbage Moon'' (1965) (Illustrated by Adrienne Adams; 1998 Illustrated by Arden Johnson-Petrov) * ''Christmas in the Forest'' (1965) * ''Pocahontas In London'' (1967) (Illustrated by John Alcorn (artist)) * ''Cobweb Castle'' (1968) (Illustrated by

) * ''Push Kitty'' (1968) * ''Rickety Rackety Rooster'' (1968) * ''Runaway Jonah and Other Tales'' (1968) (Illustrated by Uri Shulevitz; 1985 Illustrated by Jane Conteh-Morgan and titled ''Runaway Jonah and Other Biblical Adventures'') (Also released in 1985 on vinyl and cassette, read by

E. G. Marshall E. G. Marshall (born Everett Eugene Grunz;Everett Eugene Grunz in Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1900-1934, Ancestry.comEverett Eugene Grunz in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, accessed via Ancestry.com June 18, ...

) * ''The Fisherman'' (1969) * ''May Horses'' (1969) * ''The Norman Rockwell Storybook'' (1969) (Illustrated by

) * ''A Wolf of My Own'' (1969)

1970s

* ''The Animals' Peace Day'' (1970) (This book is the basis for the animated short ''Why We Need Each Other or The Animals' Picnic Day'' (1972)) * ''The Mulberry Tree'' (1970) * ''The Prince Who Was A Fish'' (1970) * ''The Wonderful Kite'' (1970) (Illustrated by Uri Shulevitz) * ''Abe Lincoln's Beard'' (1971) (Illustrated by Fernando Krahn) * ''Anna Help Ginger'' (1971) * ''Crabapple Night'' (1971) (Illustrated by Steven Kellog) * ''Lorenzo Bear & Company'' (1971) * ''Margaret's Birthday'' (1971) (Illustrated by

) * ''Cristobal and The Witch'' (1972) * ''Magic Heart'' (1972) * ''Grandmother Told Me'' (1972) (Illustrated by

) * ''The Very Peculiar Tunnel'' (1972) (Illustrated by Steven Kellog) * ''Crazy Brobobalou'' (1973) * ''The Five In The Forest'' (1974) * ''Jeremiah Knucklebones'' (1974) * ''Juan Diego and The Lady'' (1974) * ''Mooga Mega Mekki: The Story of A Stone Age Boy'' (1974) * ''The Woman With The Eggs'' (1974) * ''The Clumpets Go Sailing'' (1975) (Illustrated by Cyndy Szekeres) * ''Bear, Wolf, and Mouse'' (1975) (Illustrated by

Kinuko Y. Craft Kinuko Yamabe Craft (born January 3, 1940) is a Japanese-born American painter, illustrator and fantasy artist. Biography Kinuko Yamabe Craft was born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan on January 3, 1940. She graduated with a Bachelor of ...

) * ''Follow Me Cried Bee'' (1976) * ''Grandpa's Indian Summer'' (1976) * ''Carrot Nose'' (1978) * ''Drakestail'' (1978) * ''Jamie's Tiger'' (1978) * ''Sylvester Bear Overslept'' (1979) (Illustrated by

Lee Lorenz Lee Sharp Lorenz (October 17, 1932 – December 8, 2022) was an American cartoonist most notable for his work in ''The New Yorker''. Early life and education Lorenz was born on October 17, 1932, in Hackensack, New Jersey. After studying at No ...

) * ''The Teeny, Tiny Witches'' (1979)

1980s

* ''Button Eye's Orange'' (1980) * ''Old Hippo's Easter Egg'' (1980) * ''The Cucumber Princess'' (1981) * ''Grandpa Gus's Birthday Cake'' (1981) * ''The Little Blind Goat'' (1981) * ''Tiger Watch'' (1984) * ''So Many Racoons'' (1985) * ''Rabbits On Roller Skates!'' (1986) * ''The Toy Circus'' (1986) (Illustrated by Tim Bowers) * ''The Musicians of Hootsville'' (1987) * ''Humphrey's Bear'' (1988) (Illustrated by

William Joyce William Brooke Joyce (24 April 1906 – 3 January 1946), nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an American-born Fascism, fascist and Propaganda of Nazi Germany, Nazi propaganda broadcaster during the World War II, Second World War. After moving from ...

) * ''The Adventures of the Underwater Dog'' (1989) (Illustrated by Tim Bowers)

1990s

* ''My Cat Ginger'' (1990) * ''The Rabbit Club'' (1990) (Illustrated by Tim Bowers) * ''Mrs. Owl and Mr. Pig'' (1991) * ''Tailypo!'' (1991) * ''Little Eight John'' (1992) * ''Sleepytime Book'' (1992) * ''Suzy and the Mouse King'' (1992) * ''Little Gray One'' (1993) * ''Will Santa Come?'' (1993) * ''Cats and Robbers'' (1995) * ''Emily and the Snowflake'' (1995) * ''"I Remember" Cried Grandma Pinky'' (1995) * ''Jack Rabbit and the Giant'' (1996) * ''Once When The World Was Green'' (1996) * ''I Met A Dinosaur'' (1997) * ''The Singing Geese'' (1998) * ''Christmas Present'' (1999) * ''Rosa's Parrot'' (1999) * ''Little Johnny Buttermilk'' (1999)

2000s

* ''The Fieldmouse and the Dinosaur Named Sue'' (2000) * ''Mabel Ran Away with the Toys'' (2000) * ''Three Pandas'' (2000) * ''Elf Night'' (2002) * ''Rabbits On Mars'' (2003) * ''Knock! Knock!'' (2004) * ''Candy Shop'' (2005) * ''The Enchanted Sled'' (2005) * ''Bear Dance'' (2008)

2010s

* ''The Art Collector'' (2011) * ''The Long Tall Journey'' (2015) * ''The Hunter'' (2018)

Picture Book Series

Pleasant Fieldmouse Series

* ''Pleasant Fieldmouse'' (1964) (Illustrated by

) * ''The Six Voyages of Pleasant Fieldmouse'' (1971) (Illustrated by Peter Parnall; 1994 Illustrated by Tim Bowers) * ''Pleasant Fieldmouse's Halloween Party'' (1974) (Illustrated by Wallace Tripp) * ''Pleasant Fieldmouse Story Book'' (1977) * ''Pleasant Fieldmouse's Valentine Trick'' (1977)

Muffletumps Series

* ''The Muffletumps: The Story of Four Dolls'' (1966) illustrated by Edward Ardizzone * ''The Muffletump Storybook'' (1975) * ''The Muffletumps' Christmas Party'' (1975) * ''The Muffletumps' Hallowe'en Scare'' (1979)

Doctor Rabbit Series

* ''Doctor Rabbit'' (1970) * ''Doctor Rabbit's Foundling'' (1977) * ''Doctor Rabbit's Lost Scout'' (1988)

Horror Pet Series

* ''Frankenstein's Dog'' (1977) (Republished with ''Dracula's Cat'' as a single volume in 1990) * ''Dracula's Cat'' (1978) (Republished with ''Frankenstein's Dog'' as a single volume in 1990)

Pipkins Series

* ''The Pipkins Go Camping'' (1982) * ''More Room For The Pipkins'' (1983)

Golden Book Imprints

* ''Peter and The Troll Baby'' (1984) (A Golden Book) * ''Cheltenham's Party'' (1986) (Little Golden Reader Special Editions) * ''Let's Go Fishing'' (1987) (A Big Little Golden Book) * ''The Golden Christmas Tree'' (1988) (A Big Little Golden Book) * ''Little Dragon's Grandmother'' (1988) (A Golden Storytime Book) * ''Tales of Fuzzy Mouse'' (1988) (A Golden Book) * ''Timothy Tiger's Terrible Toothache'' (1988) (A Little Golden Book) * ''The Wizard of Oz Movie Storybook'' (1989) (A Golden Book)

Early Reader/Chapter Books

* ''How the Children Stopped the Wars'' (1969) * ''Youth's Magic Horn: Seven Stories'' (1978) * ''Needle and Noodle and Other Silly Stories'' (1979) * ''The Screeching Door, or, What Happened At The Elephant Hotel'' (1979); (Republished in 2011 as ''The Screeching Door: Three Spooky Tales'' with new additional story) * ''A Gift For Miss Milo'' (1990) * ''Hedy and Her Amazing Invention'' (2019) * ''The Movie Girls: Lillian and Dorothy'' (Forthcoming) (Illustrated by Rick Geary)

Melvin Spitznagle Series

* ''The Furious Flycycle'' (1968) (This book was the basis for an animated short of the same name in 1980) * ''S.O.S. Bobomobile'' (1973)

Tim Kitten Series

* ''Great-Grandmother Cat Tales'' (1976) * ''Who Will Believe Tim Kitten?'' (1978) * ''Tim Kitten and the Red Cupboard'' (1990) (Picture Book)

Adult Nonfiction

* ''Through a Lens Darkly'' (2008) (Wahl's autobiographical memoirs) * ''Dear Stinkpot: Letters from Louise Brooks'' (2010) (Wahl's commentary on and reprints of his correspondence with the noted actress) * ''Carl Theodor Dreyer and Ordet'' (2012) (Wahl's recollections of his time working with the famed director and some of the director's film-theory essays)

Awards

* Avery Hopwood Prize in Short Story Fiction for ''Seven Old Maids'', University of Michigan (1955) "Jan Wahl." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resource Center. Web. 7 July 2014. * Young Critic's Award, Bologna International Children's Book Fair for ''Pocahontas in London'' (1969) * Ohioana Book Award for ''The Norman Rockwell Storybook'' (1970) * Parents' Choice Literary Award for ''Tiger Watch'' (1987) * Ohioana Book Award for ''Humphrey's Bear'' (1987) * Redbook Award for ''Humphrey's Bear'' (1987) * Christopher Medal for ''Humphrey's Bear'' (1988) * Coretta Scott King Book Award: Illustrator Honor for ''Little Eight John'' (1993)

External links

Ohio Center for the Book

Jan Wahl Collection Finding Aid, Bowling Green State University Libraries

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wahl, Jan American children's writers 1931 births 2019 deaths Writers from Columbus, Ohio University of Michigan alumni