Meindert DeJong
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2010) |
| Meindert De Jong | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 4, 1906 Wierum, Friesland, Netherlands |
| Died | July 16, 1991 (aged 85) Michigan, USA |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1938 - ? |
| Genres | Children's literature |
Meindert De Jong, sometimes spelled de Jong or Dejong (4 March 1906 – 16 July 1991) was a Dutch-American, award-winning author of children's books.
Life
De Jong was born in the village of Wierum, of the province of Friesland, in the Netherlands. The family emigrated to the United States in 1914. Meindert attended Dutch Calvinist secondary schools and Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and entered the University of Chicago, but left without graduating.
He held various jobs during the Great Depression, and it was at the suggestion of a local librarian that he began writing children's books. His first book The Big Goose and the Little White Duck was published in 1938. He wrote several more books before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II serving in China.[1]
After the war he resumed writing, and for several years resided in Mexico. He returned for a time to Michigan. After settling in North Carolina, he returned to Michigan for the final years of his life.
Six of De Jong's books were illustrated by Maurice Sendak.
Awards
- Shadrach and Hurry Home Candy were both named Newbery Honor Books in 1954.
- The Wheel on the School was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1955 and the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1957. It was named to the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list in 1963.[2]
- The House of Sixty Fathers received the Josette Frank Award (then named the Children's Book Award of the Child Study Association) in 1956. It was also named a Newbery Honor Book in 1957.
- Along Came a Dog was named a Newbery Honor Book in 1959.
- In 1962 De Jong won the International Hans Christian Andersen Award for his contributions to literature for young people. He was the first American author to be awarded this honor.
- Journey from Peppermint Street won the inaugural National Book Award in category Children's Books in 1969.[3]
References
- ^ Newbery Medal Books: 1922-1955, eds. Bertha Mahony Miller, Elinor Whitney Field, Horn Book, 1955, LOC 55-13968, p.425-433
- ^ Award List. "Lewis Carroll Shelf Award Winners", Lewis Carroll Shelf Award Collection, Living Arts Corporation, Loveland, Colorado.[clarification needed]
- ^ "National Book Awards – 1969". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
External links
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Meindert DeJong |
- Meindert De Jong at Harper Collins
