Jean Guttery Fritz (November 16, 1915 – May 14, 2017) was an American children's writer best known for American biography and history. She won the
Children's Legacy Literature Award for her career contribution to American children's literature in 1986.
[ She ]turned 100
A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...
in November 2015 and died in May 2017 at the age of 101.
Early life
Fritz was born to American Presbyterian missionaries
A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...
Arthur Minton Guttery and the former Myrtle Chaney in Hankow, China, where she lived until she was twelve.[ Growing up, she attended a British school and kept a journal about her days in China with her amah, Lin Nai-Nai. The family emigrated to the United States when she was in eighth grade.
She graduated from Wheaton College in Massachusetts in 1937 and married Michael Fritz in 1941. They had two children, David and Andrea.]
Career
Fritz's writing career started with the publication of several short stories in ''Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle, and is typically portrayed as an anthropomorphic egg, though he is not explicitly described as such. The first recorded versions of the rhyme date from ...
'' magazine early in the 1950s. Her first book, '' Bunny Hopwell's First Spring'', was published in 1954 and followed in 1955 by '' 121 Pudding Street'', a work based on her own children.[
''The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature'', Bernice E. Cullinan, Diane G. Person, ]Continuum International Publishing Group
Continuum International Publishing Group was an academic publisher of books with editorial offices in London and New York City. It was purchased by Nova Capital Management in 2005. In July 2011, it was taken over by Bloomsbury Publishing. , all n ...
, 2005; . She often wrote western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
s and other stories of frontier America because Arthur told her stories of American heroes as she was growing up. Her first historical novel
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...
for children was '' The Cabin Faced West'' (1958). Her autobiography, '' Homesick, My Own Story'' (1982), won a National Book Award for Young People's Literature
The National Book Award for Young People's Literature is one of five annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation (NBF) to recognize outstanding literary work by US citizens. They are awards "by writers to writer ...
in the Children's Fiction category["National Book Awards – 1983"]
National Book Foundation
The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established with the goal "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America." Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: ...
. Retrieved 2012-02-27. and was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...
.[
The latter American Library Association (ALA) award recognizes the year's best American children's book but almost always goes to fiction.][ Later, Fritz won two annual ]Boston Globe–Horn Book Award
The ''Boston Globe''–''Horn'' Book Awards are a set of American literary awards conferred by
''The Boston Globe'' and ''The Horn Book Magazine'' annually from 1967. One book is recognized in each of four categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonficti ...
s for children's nonfiction.[ In 1986, she received the ]Children's Literature Legacy Award
The Children's Literature Legacy Award (formerly the ''Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal'' or ''Wilder Award'') is a prize awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to writers ...
from the ALA, which recognizes a living author or illustrator, whose books, published in the United States, have made "a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children". At the time it was awarded every three years.[ That year she was also U.S. nominee for the biennial, international ]Hans Christian Andersen Award
The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...
, the highest international recognition available to creators of children's books.[
]
Selected awards
''New York Times'' outstanding book of the year citations:
* 1973 – ''And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?''
* 1974 – ''Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?''
* 1975 – ''Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May?''
* 1976 – ''What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?''
* 1981 – ''Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold''
* 1982 – ''Homesick, My Own Story''
* 1983 – Newbery Honor Award, National Book Award, and Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor book, all for ''Homesick: My Own Story''.
* 1989 – Children's Literature Legacy Award, Orbis Pictus Award, National Council of English Teachers, for 1986 ''The Great Little Madison'' (1986)
Works
Autobiography
* ''Homesick: My Own Story'', illustrated with drawings by Margot Tomes and photographs (New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
: G.P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York (state), New York. Since 1996, it has been an Imprint (trade name), imprint of the Penguin Group.
History
The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 part ...
, 1982);
* ''China Homecoming'', photographs by Michael Fritz (New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
: G.P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York (state), New York. Since 1996, it has been an Imprint (trade name), imprint of the Penguin Group.
History
The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 part ...
, 1985);
* ''Surprising Myself'', photographs by Andrea Fritz Pfleger (Katonah, New York
Katonah is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Bedford, Westchester County, in the U.S. state of New York. The Katonah CDP had a population of 1,603 at the 2020 census.
History
Katonah is named for Chief Katonah, ...
: R.C. Owen Publishers, 1992);
Other
* '' Bunny Hopwell's First Spring'' (1954)
* '' Fish Head'' (1954), illus. Marc Simont
Marc Simont (November 23, 1915 – July 13, 2013) was a Paris-born American artist, political cartoonist, and illustrator of more than a hundred children's books. Inspired by his father, Spanish painter Joseph Simont, he began drawing at an earl ...
* '' 121 Pudding Street'' (1955)
* '' The Cabin Faced West'' (1958)
* '' Champion Dog Prince Tom'' (1958)
* '' Brady'' (1960)
* '' Magic to Burn'' (1964)
* '' Early Thunder'' (1967)
* '' George Washington's Breakfast'' (1969)
* '' Cast for a Revolution: Some American Friends and Enemies 1728-1814'' (1972)
* '' And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?'', illus. Margot Tomes (Coward
Cowardice is a characteristic wherein excessive fear prevents an individual from taking a risk or facing danger. It is the opposite of courage. As a label, "cowardice" indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. One who succumb ...
, 1973)
* '' Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?'' (1974)
* '' Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?'', illus. Trina Schart Hyman
Trina Schart Hyman (April 8, 1939 – November 19, 2004) was an American illustrator of children's books. She illustrated over 150 books, including fairy tales and Arthurian legends. She won the 1985 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustra ...
(Coward
Cowardice is a characteristic wherein excessive fear prevents an individual from taking a risk or facing danger. It is the opposite of courage. As a label, "cowardice" indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. One who succumb ...
, 1975)
* '' Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May?'' (1975)
* '' Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock?'' (1975)
* '' Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?'' (1976)
* '' Shh! We're Writing the Constitution'' (1976)
* '' Stonewall'', illus. Stephen Gammell
Stephen Gammell (born February 10, 1943) is an American illustrator of children's books. He won the 1989 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing ''Song and Dance Man'' by Karen Ackerman. His illustrations in ''Where the Buff ...
( Putnam, 1979)
* '' Brendan the Navigator: the History Mystery about the Discovery of America'' (1979)
* '' Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus?'' (1980)
* '' Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold'' (1981)
* '' The Double Life of Pocahontas'', illus. Ed Young ( Putnam, 1983), winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award
The ''Boston Globe''–''Horn'' Book Awards are a set of American literary awards conferred by
''The Boston Globe'' and ''The Horn Book Magazine'' annually from 1967. One book is recognized in each of four categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonficti ...
, Nonfiction[
* '' Make Way for Sam Houston'' (1986)
* '' China's Long March: 6,000 Miles of Danger'' (1988)
* '' What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?'' (1988)
* '' The Great Little Madison'' ( Putnam, 1989), winner of the ]Boston Globe–Horn Book Award
The ''Boston Globe''–''Horn'' Book Awards are a set of American literary awards conferred by
''The Boston Globe'' and ''The Horn Book Magazine'' annually from 1967. One book is recognized in each of four categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonficti ...
, Nonfiction
* '' Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt'' (1990)
* '' The Big Book for Peace'' ( Dutton, 1990), illus. Teri Sloat
* '' Surprising Myself'' (1992)
* '' The World in 1492'' (1992)
* '' George Washington's Mother'' (1992)
* '' Around the World in a Hundred Years'' (1993)
* '' Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln'' (1993)
* '' Harriet Beecher Stowe and The Beecher Preachers'' (1994)
* '' You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton?'' (1995)
* '' Why Not Lafayette?'' (1999)
* ''Leonardo's Horse
''Leonardo's Horse'' (also known as the ''Sforza Horse'' or the ''Gran Cavallo'' ("Great Horse") ) is a project for a bronze sculpture that was commissioned from Leonardo da Vinci in 1482 by the Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza, Ludovico il Moro, ...
'' (2001)
* '' The Lost Colony of Roanoke'' (2004)
Notes
References
Sources
*
External links
* at Children's Book Council
''China Homecoming'' at Google Books
— including "About the Author (1985)"
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fritz, Jean
1915 births
2017 deaths
American women children's writers
American children's writers
American non-fiction children's writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century American biographers
21st-century American biographers
American women biographers
Children's Literature Legacy Award winners
National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners
National Humanities Medal recipients
Newbery Honor winners
Wheaton College (Massachusetts) alumni
People from Dobbs Ferry, New York
American women centenarians
Writers from Wuhan
21st-century American women writers
American expatriates in China