This season has been a rough one for losing beloved and influential people. The deaths of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry last week loom large, but earlier this summer the literary world lost a giant: award-winning author, folklorist, poet, mentor, and mensch Jane Yolen.
If her name does not ring a bell for you, her work might. She was the author of more than 400 books for a range of audiences, beloved for picture books such as the raucous How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, as well as Owl Moon, a quiet, almost meditative book following a little girl and her father on a snowy walk to look for owls, winner of the Caldecott medal in 1988. Her catalogue demonstrates tremendous range and a mind that stayed curious and empathetic her whole life. Her picture books could be silly, soothing, moving, or educational, and sometimes were all of those at once.
Beyond picture books, she wrote and won awards for middle grade and YA novels, poetry for all ages, fiction and nonfiction, collections of folk tales, and essays on the craft of writing and storytelling. She was president of the Science Fiction Writer’s Society of America from 1986-1988 and a member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for more than 25 years. She received honorary doctorates from six colleges, including her alma mater, Smith College.
Jane Yolen was undeniably a success in a highly competitive field, with the accolades to show for it, but when she died at the age of 87, the story that was told in interviews and via social media posts again and again was how kind she was. How she never rested on her laurels but instead spent her time mentoring and encouraging other authors. How the work she did to lift others up and open doors has made the world of children’s literature richer.
She led workshops, attended conferences, gave her time to organizations that fostered new writers, and welcomed those writers with open arms. Somehow, she also found time to raise three children (two writers and a musician) and write a grand total of 450 books. Her life was rich, her works influential and beloved, and she herself was highly respected in her field.
A throughline for her work was deep knowledge of folklore and storytelling traditions. Her books often had a sparkle of magic in them, either overtly or in the tone of her writing style. Owl Moon, for example, is a very realistic story, but the combination of John Schoenherr’s watercolor illustrations and Jane Yolen’s spare, poetic text creates a hushed, anticipatory, magical feeling that draws readers in. Her daughter and sometime collaborator, Heidi Stemple, said that her mother had a saying, “Touch magic. Pass it on.” which she would often write in books she signed. She meant that stories are magic. Reading or listening to a story, you get to touch the magic and have the opportunity to share it with others. Pass that brush with magic on to someone else. Share the book, tell the story, spread the magic.
What an inspiration for those of us who work in libraries! And for all of us who know the joy and power of sharing stories. And for Jane Yolen, who not only shared her own stories but spent her life helping others share theirs, what a legacy! May we all learn from her generous spirit and spend our lives delighting in stories, sharing what we love, and lifting each other up.
“I believe in story. It helps us make sense of the world in all its messiness, glories, mismatches, and marvels.” – Jane Yolen