Jacqueline Briggs Martin facts for kids

Jacqueline Briggs Martin is an American author who writes books for children. She also teaches creative writing. Her books have won many important awards, including the Caldecott Medal in 1999. Other awards include the Golden Kite Award and the Green Earth Award. She has taught at several colleges and universities, like Hamline University.

Early Life and Learning

Jacqueline Briggs Martin was born in Lewiston, Maine, on April 15, 1945. She grew up on a dairy farm in Maine. This farm life often gave her ideas for her stories later on.

She went to Wellesley College and finished her studies there in 1966. Later, in 1971, she earned another degree from the University of Minnesota. She studied how children develop and learn.

Becoming an Author

Jacqueline started writing children's books after reading with her own two children. She wanted to create stories that both kids and their parents or grandparents would enjoy reading together.

Finding Story Ideas

Jacqueline finds ideas for her books in many places. Some stories come from her own family history or things that happened when she was a child. Other times, she gets ideas from interesting people she hears about.

She spends a lot of time researching her topics. She checks facts carefully to make sure all the historical details in her books are correct. For example, when she wrote Snowflake Bentley, she had to make the story fit into a picture book. She saved some extra facts for special sections on the pages. This way, older readers could learn even more. Jacqueline believes that writers are always getting better at their craft. She also says she is a slow writer, taking her time to make each book just right.

Popular Books

Jacqueline Briggs Martin has written many books for young readers. Here are some of her well-known works:

Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table was chosen for the Read Across the Globe event in 2015.

• Creekfinding: A True Story
• Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix
• Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious
• Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table
• The Chiru of High Tibet
• Chicken Joy on Redbean Road
• Banjo Granny
• On Sand Island
• The Finest Horse in Town
• The Water Gift and The Pig of the Pig
• The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish: Based on a True Story
• Snowflake Bentley
• Grandmother Bryant's Pocket
• Good Times on Grandfather Mountain
• Button, Bucket, Sky
• Washing the Willow Tree Loon

Personal Life

Jacqueline Briggs Martin lives in Mount Vernon, Iowa. She married Richard Martin in 1967. They have two children, named Sarah and Justin.