Linda Granfield (born November 22, 1950, in Medford) is an American-Canadian writer of nearly thirty nonfiction children's books. In 2001, she received the

Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People The Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, colloquially called the Vicky, is given annually at the Writers' Trust Awards to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth". It is a top honour for ...

, an honour bestowed by the

Writers' Trust of Canada The Writers' Trust of Canada () is a registered charity which provides financial support to Canadian writers. Founded by Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Laurence, and David Young (Canadian playwright), David Young; the W ...

to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth".

Personal life and education

Granfield was born November 22, 1950, in

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus on both sides of the Medford and Somervill ...

, to Joseph J. and Barbara H. (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Boyd) Granfield. She had a younger brother who died when she was in the fifth grade. Granfield studied at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

in 1971 before transferring to

Salem State College Salem State University (Salem State or SSU) is a public university in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1854, it is the oldest and largest institute of higher education on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore and is p ...

, where she received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1972, having majored in English with a double minor in Education and French. She received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in English from

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...

in 1974. Later that year, she moved to Canada to begin her doctoral studies at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, where she studied Victorian literature for two years. While at the University of Toronto, Granfield met Cal Smiley, whom she married in 1978. She has two children: Devon Marie and Brian Lindsay. Granfield is a

dual-citizen Multiple citizenship (or multiple nationality) is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one country under its nationality and citizenship law as a national or citizen of that country. There is no ...

in the United States and Canada.

Career

While at a

Canadian Booksellers Association The Canadian Booksellers Association (CBA) is an organization that promotes and advocates for Canadian booksellers, publishers and authors. Its membership is open to bookstore owners and "affiliated stakeholders" like authors and publishers. The org ...

conference, Granfield was approached by a representative from

Kids Can Press Kids Can Press is a Canadian-owned publisher of children's books, with a catalogue of nearly 1,000 picture books and 500 e-books, nonfiction, and fiction titles for toddlers to young adults. The Kids Can Press list includes well-known character ...

, who asked, "When are you going to stop writing ABOUT children's books and write one yourself?" Based on this interaction, she decided to write her first children's book, ''All about Niagara Falls'', which was published in 1988. She has since written nearly thirty children's books, which have won her numerous local and national awards. Aside from writing, Granfield has been influential in various historical and factual endeavors, including being a consultant for various documentary films. Along with being "a historical adviser for the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

," she was "a member of the 'In Flanders Fields at 100' task force that successfully nominated

John McCrae Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918) was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He is best known for writing th ...

for membership in the

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame __NOTOC__ The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is a Canadian charitable organization, founded in 1994, that honours Canadians who have contributed to the understanding of disease and improving the health of people. It has an exhibit hall in London, ...

Awards and honors

In 2001, Granfield received the

, an honour bestowed by the

to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth". ''I Remember Korea'' is a

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial Book sales club, book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samue ...

book.

Selected texts

* ''All about Niagara Falls: Fascinating Facts, Dramatic Discoveries,'' illustrated by Pat Cupples,

(1988) * ''Canada Votes: How We Elect Our Government,'' illustrated by Bill Slavin, Kids Can Press (1990) * ''Extra! Extra!: The Who, What, When, Where, and Why of Newspapers,'' illustrated by Bill Slavin, Kids Can Press (1993) * ''The Make-Your-Own-Button Book'', illustrated by Andrea Wayne-Von Kongislow,

Hyperion Books for Children Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Experiences, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints include Disney Edition ...

(1994) * ''Cowboy: An Album,''

Douglas & McIntyre Douglas and McIntyre (2013) Ltd. is a Canadian book publishing firm. Douglas & McIntyre was founded by James Douglas and Scott McIntyre in 1971 as an independent publishing company based in Vancouver. Reorganized with new owners in 2008 as D&M ...

(1993) * ''In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae,'' illustrated by Janet Wilson,

Lester Publishing Lester & Orpen Dennys was a Canadian book publishing company based in Toronto, originally as Lester & Orpen. It operated as a publisher from 1973 to 1991. Writers who published with the company included Graham Greene, P.D. James, June Callwood ...

(1995) * ''Amazing Grace: The Story of the Hymn,'' illustrated by Janet Wilson,

Tundra Books Tundra Books is the oldest children's book publisher in Canada. Tundra Books was founded in 1967 by May Cutler, a Montreal-based writer and editor. Cutler established the publishing company in the basement of her home, becoming the first woman ...

(1997) * ''Silent Night: The Song from Heaven,'' illustrated by Nelly and Ernst Hofer, Tundra Books (1997) * ''Postcards Talk,'' illustrated by Mark Thurman, Pembroke (1997) * ''The Legend of the Panda,'' Tundra Books (1997) * ''Circus,''

Groundwood Books House of Anansi Press is a Canadian publishing company, founded in 1967 by writers Dennis Lee and Dave Godfrey. The company specializes in finding and developing new Canadian writers of literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. History Anansi ...

(1997) * ''Brain Quest Canada: 1,000 Questions and Answers: People, Places, Culture, and Historic Events'' (card format), with Pat Hancock, illustrated by Kimble Mead, Allen (1998) * ''High Flight: A Story of World War II,'' illustrated by

Michael Martchenko Michael Martchenko (born August 1, 1942) is a Canadian illustrator best known for illustrating many books by Robert Munsch. Early life Born in Carcassonne, France, Martchenko moved to Canada when he was seven, where he graduated from the Ontario ...

, Tundra Books (1999) * ''Pier 21: Gateway of Hope,'' Tundra Books (2000) * ''Where Poppies Grow: A World War I Companion,''

Stoddart Stoddart is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alexander Stoddart, Alexander "Sandy" Stoddart (born 1959), Scottish sculptor *Andrew Stoddart (1863–1915), English cricketer and rugby union player *Archibald Peile Stoddart (1860� ...

(2001) * ''97 Orchard Street, New York,'' photographs by

Arlene Alda Arlene Alda ( Weiss; born March 12, 1933) is an American photographer and writer. She began her career playing clarinet professionally, then moved on to photography and writing children's books. She is married to actor Alan Alda. Early life Alda ...

, Tundra Books (2001) * ''Brass Buttons and Silver Horseshoes: Stories from Canada's British War Brides,''

McClelland & Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Random House of Canada, Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann. ...

(2002) * ''I Remember Korea: Veterans Tell Their Stories of the Korean War, 1950-53,''

Clarion Clarion may refer to: Music * Clarion (instrument), a type of trumpet used in the Middle Ages * The Register (music), register of a clarinet that ranges from B4 to C6 * A Trumpet (organ stop), trumpet organ stop that usually plays an octave abov ...

(2003)

"The Year I Was Born" series

"The Year I Was Born" books are illustrated by Bill Slavin and

. * ''The Year I Was Born—1987'' (1994) * ''The Year I Was Born—1988'' (1995) * ''The Year I Was Born—1984'' (1996)

References

Living people {{Authority control 1950 births Salem State University alumni Northeastern University alumni 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers