About Jean...
As a kid…
I loved to draw. I was the class artist—the go-to gal when pictures were needed for class projects. “She’s going to be an artist when she grows up,” people said. I thought they might be right.
As a college student…
I majored in art—or tried to, anyway. But one of my professors didn’t think much of my talent and made sure I knew it. So, I became a teacher.
As a teacher…
I decided to open doors for students, rather than close them…to nurture their dreams and talents the best I could.
What I discovered is that teaching is like drawing, but art through three-dimensional design with real people.
And I learned…
That being an artist is so much more than drawing pictures. They were right when I was a kid—I did become an artist when I grew up. But now I do it with words.
My background…
I spent my childhood on Galveston Island, where Jean Lafitte, the notorious pirate, once lived. Tales of his escapades during the early 1800s fired my imagination and set the stage for writing children’s picture books. After graduating from college with a degree in elementary education, I accepted a job teaching on an army base in Hawaii and later at a school on a pineapple plantation. Eventually, I moved to New England, where I received my Ph.D. and taught college courses, supervised student teachers, and served as an academic dean. I’m a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. My short story, “Marion P. Shadd, Freeborn Child of the American Civil War,” was recognized by Lee and Low Books as the winner of its contest for biographical profiles and published on the company’s website. The Tree in Dock Square, my picture book manuscript, won first place in a regional contest sponsored by the public libraries of Cape Ann, Massachusetts. The grand prize—publication of a hardcover edition. Contact Jean
