Jean Merrill facts for kids

Jean Merrill (born January 27, 1923 – died August 2, 2012) was a talented American writer and editor. She is best known for her children's novel, The Pushcart War, published in 1964. Jean Merrill passed away in 2012 at her home in Randolph, Vermont, when she was 89 years old.

Growing Up and School

Jean Merrill was born on January 27, 1923, in Rochester, New York. She spent her childhood near Lake Ontario in Webster, New York. This area is now a suburb of Rochester.

In 1944, Jean earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. She studied English and Theatre. She also joined the Phi Beta Kappa Society, which is a special honor for smart students. The next year, in 1945, she earned her master's degree from Wellesley College. Ronni Solbert was her close friend and the artist who drew pictures for many of her books for almost 50 years.

Jean Merrill as an Editor

After finishing college, Jean Merrill worked as an editor for different companies. From 1945 to 1949, she was an editor for Scholastic Magazines. Then, from 1950 to 1957, she edited for Literary Cavalcade.

In 1952, Jean received a special award called a Fulbright Fellowship. This award allowed her to study at the University of Madras in India. Her studies there helped her write many stories based on old Asian tales. These included Shan's Lucky Knife (1960), The Superlative Horse (1961), and The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars (1992). From 1965 to 1971, she also worked as an editor and advisor at the Bank Street College of Education.

Jean Merrill's Books

Jean Merrill began writing books while working as an editor. Her first books were Henry, The Hand-Painted Mouse (1951) and The Woover (1952). In 1963, she won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for her book The Superlative Horse.

The Pushcart War

In 1964, Jean Merrill published her most famous book, The Pushcart War. This book also won her a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1965. The story is set in New York City. It is written like a history report from the future. It looks back at a funny "war" between big trucking companies and small pushcart owners.

A reviewer from The New York Times said it was rare to find a book for young people that was both smart and silly. The Pushcart War has been printed many times. The dates in the book are often changed to keep it feeling like it's set in the future. In 2006, a musical play based on the book was performed in Holt, Michigan.

Other Popular Stories

Jean Merrill wrote The Black Sheep in 1969. Another writer, Natalie Babbitt, said the story was like a tasty sandwich.

In 1972, Merrill published The Toothpaste Millionaire. This story is set in Cleveland. It is about a sixth-grade girl who moves to town and becomes friends with her neighbor. Her neighbor is an African-American boy who is a young business owner. Together, they get rich by selling homemade toothpaste. In 1974, a TV special was made based on The Toothpaste Millionaire. This book is often used in classrooms to teach about starting a business, marketing, and even how toothpaste is made. It also helps discuss social topics.

In 1992, Merrill wrote The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars. This book is based on an old Japanese tale from the 12th century. The original story's ending was lost, so Jean Merrill's book also ends suddenly.

Books were very important to Jean Merrill when she was a child. This inspired her to write stories for kids that would have a similar positive effect. Her books often show how people can solve problems by using good values like kindness and fairness.

Most of her books had pictures drawn by Ronni Solbert, her close friend and collaborator for over 50 years.

List of Books

• Henry, The Hand-Painted Mouse. New York: Coward-McCann, 1951.
• The Woover. New York: Coward-McCann, 1952.
• Boxes. New York: Coward-McCann, 1953.
• Shan's Lucky Knife: A Burmese Folk Tale. New York: W.R. Scott, 1960.
• The Superlative Horse: A Tale of Ancient China. New York: W.R. Scott, 1961.
• The Pushcart War New York: W.R. Scott, 1964.
• The Travels of Marco. New York: Knopf Books for Younger Readers, 1965
• The Elephant Who Liked to Smash Small Cars. New York: Pantheon, 1967.
• The Black Sheep. New York: Pantheon, 1969.
• The Toothpaste Millionaire. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1972.
• Seraphina: and Edwardian Love Story. Ivy Books, 1980.
• The Girl who Loved Caterpillars: A Twelfth-Century Tale from Japan. New York: HarperCollins, 1992.