Who is Jan Brett?

Who is Jan Brett?
Jan Brett is a best-selling children’s literature author
who both writes as well as illustrates her books.
Where is she from?
Jan Brett was born on December 1, 1949 in Massachusetts. Jan lives in a seacoast town
in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a
home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.
Jan Brett’s Education
Jan Brett attended the local public schools in her area. She says she was "very shy," but
"always loved drawing." After high school, she studied art at Colby Junior College in 19681969 and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School in 1970. While in college in Boston, Jan
spent many spare hours in the Museum of Fine Arts.
Jan Brett’s Family
Jan Brett lives with her husband Joe Hearne and Buffy, her pet hedgehog. She has been
married two times. Her first husband was named Daniel Bowler. They married in 1970 and
had one daughter, Lia. They divorced in 1979. In 1980, Jan married Joseph Hearne. He
plays the double bass with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The double bass is a large
stringed instrument. It's also the instrument played by Berlioz, in Berlioz the Bear, which
show wrote with Joseph in mind.
What are some of her trademarks?
Her books are known for colorful, detailed depictions of a wide variety of animals and
human cultures. Jan Brett loves animals and is known for having them tell her story. A big
part of what makes Brett's books so much fun is the expression she conveys on the faces of
the animals she illustrates. Her books are instantly recognizable, with her trademark style
of using detail to draw you further into the story, weaving a story-within-a-story as she
offers new vantage points in the borders or foreshadows the arrival of a new character.
Sometimes she uses the same animal repeatedly in her stories like Hedgie the Hedgehog.
Jan Brett uses her illustrations along the borders of her books to depict what happened,
and foreshadow what will happen next. She says that sometimes she has too many ideas
that she wants to include, so she uses them for the borders when she doesn’t want to use
them as a main focus of the page. This is great for students when they are being taught
predictions!
What kind of genres does she like to write about?
Jan Brett’s stories range from her own original stories (which are generally realistic fiction
or fantasy) to the retelling of folktales from other countries such as the Ukraine, Finland,
and Poland. She especially likes the Russian folktales.
What kind of themes does she include across her books?
Many of her books take place during the winter time or revolve around holidays or seasons
throughout the year. She uses animals in many of her books, in which, her animals will
sometimes talk and have human-like characteristics.
Where does she get her inspiration?
Travel is a constant inspiration for Jan Brett. Together with her husband, Jan visits many
different countries to research architecture and costumes that she uses in her books. Jan
Brett has traveled all over the world for her books. She went to Norway to study the lay of
the land for her book Christmas Trolls. She also talked to the people of Norway to learn
about the legend of trolls. When she wrote The Mitten, she talked to people from Ukraine,
where the story takes place. They told her special things about growing up there. One
woman told her to make the children's clothing extra big, because they would be wearing
hand-me-downs. If you look at the pictures in The Mitten, you will notice that the children's
clothing is too big for them. She also spent time in Botswana to research on Noah's Ark.
She visited Costa Rica to write and illustrate The Umbrella. A few years ago she went to
China to do research for Daisy Comes Home. She traveled down the Li River, taking
pictures of the animals, the land, and the people. She took photos, drew sketches, and
made notes to use later, when she created the book.
Quotes from the Author-Illustrator
 “When I was I child, I decided to be an illustrator. I spent many hours reading and
drawing. I remember the special quiet of rainy days, when I felt that I could enter the
pages of beautiful picture books. Now I try to re-create that feeling of believing that
the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince
me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real.”
 “As a student at the Museum School in Boston, I spent hours in the Museum of Fine
Arts. It was overwhelming to see room-size landscapes and towering stone
sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos
and ancient porcelain. I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful
images come back to me in my painting.”
 "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the
traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my
children's books."
 “A child is born intelligent and full of curiosity. For a child, a book is a very personal
thing. There is a kind of communication with books that doesn’t take place any other
way.”
Interesting Facts
-It has been twenty-seven years since Jan has published her first book.
-She has wanted to publish books since she was in kindergarten!
- It takes Jan about a year to do each book because she makes a draft for each page.
-The first book Jan Brett wrote and illustrated was called Fritz and the Beautiful Horses.
Jan Brett Extras:

Jan Brett has her own website which can be found at www.janbrett.com

She has many different tutorials teaching people of all age how to draw, illustrate,
create, and even sometime tips for writing!

She also has pictures and murals of some of her experiences traveling

There are free printable coloring pages for children, and many fun games that relate
to some of Jan Brett’s books. You can send these colored photos into her coloring
contests when she hosts them!

For teachers, she has free “themed” lessons that relate to her books, so that you can
use them in your own classrooms when you read her books to your students!

Many children want to know how long it takes Brett to complete a book. A 32-page
book takes her about one year. That's including all the time she needs for travel,
research, writing, and drawing.
Contact Jan Brett
Jan Brett has a link on her website for students and teachers to email her with questions
or comments, or follow her blog. She can also be found on facebook, youtube and twitter!
Personal awards
1990:
1993:
1996:
2005:
New England Booksellers Association - Artist Award Winner Bookweek New England
David McCord Children's Literature Citation
Fitchburg State College - Doctor of Humane Letters
Boston Public Library - Lifetime Achievement Award
Book Awards (Most Recent)
Jan Brett has won approximately 50 Book awards from 1981-2012.
2012: The New York Times - "Children's Picture Book Bestseller List” MOSSY
The New York Times - "Children's Picture Book Bestseller List” THE EASTER EGG
The New York Times - "Children's Picture Book Bestseller List" HOME FOR
CHRISTMAS
The New York Times - "Children's Picture Book Bestseller List" THE EASTER EGG
Chicago Public Library - "Best of the Best Books of 2010" - The 3 LITTLE DASSIES
The New York Times - Children's Picture Book Bestseller List” THE EASTER EGG
Books Written and Illustrated by Jan
Brett
MOSSY--G.P. Putnam's Sons--(September 2012)
(Set by a turtle pond in Hingham, Massachusetts)
ANNIE AND THE WILD ANIMALS--G.P. Putnam's Sons-(coming October 2012)
(Set in Kittery Point, Maine)
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2012
(Set in Jan Land - a made up place)
HOME FOR CHRISTMAS--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2011
(Set in Arctic Sweden)
THE 3 LITTLE DASSIES--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2010
(Set in Namibia, Africa)
THE EASTER EGG--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2010
(Set in Norwell, Massachusetts)
JAN BRETT'S SNOWY TREASURY--G.P. Putnam's
Sons--2009¶
(Anthology)
GINGERBREAD FRIENDS--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2008
(Set in Switzerland)
HEDGIE BLASTS OFF!--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2006
(Set in Kennedy Space Center and in outer space)
HEDGIE LOVES TO READ--Free Book!
THE UMBRELLA--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2004
(Set in Costa Rica)
DAISY COMES HOME--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2002
(Set in Guilin, China)
CHRISTMAS TREASURY--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2001
(Anthology)
HEDGIE'S SURPRISE--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2000
(Set in Denmark)
THE HAT--G.P. Putnam's Sons--1997
(Set in Denmark)
COMET'S NINE LIVES--G.P. Putnam's Sons--1996
(Set in Nantucket, Massachusetts)
ARMADILLO RODEO--G.P. Putnam's Sons--1995
(Set in Fredericksburg, Texas)
CHRISTMAS TROLLS--G P. Putnam's Sons--1993
(Set in Bergen, Norway)
TROUBLE WITH TROLLS--G. P. Putnam's Sons--1992
(Set in Bergen, Norway)
BERLIOZ THE BEAR--G P. Putnam's Sons--1991
(Set in Bad Tolz, Germany)
THE WILD CHRISTMAS REINDEER--G P. Putnam's
Sons--1990
(Set in Norway)
THE FIRST DOG--Harcourt Brace Jovanovich--1988
(Set in La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles, California)
FRITZ AND THE BEAUTIFUL HORSES--Houghton
Mifflin--1981
(Set in Salzburg, Austria)
Books Retold and Illustrated by Jan Brett
THE THREE SNOW BEARS--G.P. Putnam's Sons-2007
(Set in Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada)
HONEY...HONEY...LION!--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2005
(Set in Okevango Delta, Botswana, Africa)
ON NOAH'S ARK--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2003
(Set in Okevango Delta, Botswana, Africa)
WHO'S THAT KNOCKING ON CHRISTMAS EVE--G.P.
Putnam's Sons--2002
(Set in Alta, Norway)
GINGERBREAD BABY--G. P. Putnam's Sons--1999
(Set in Switzerland)
TOWN MOUSE, COUNTRY MOUSE--G. P. Putnam's
Sons--1994
(Set in Switzerland)
THE MITTEN--G. P. Putnam's Sons--1989
(Set in Ukraine)
GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS--G. P.
Putnam's Sons--1987
(Set in Jan Land - a made up place)
Books Illustrated by Jan Brett
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS --G.P. Putnam's
Sons--1998
(Set in Stockbridge, Massachusetts)
THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT--G. P. Putnam's Sons-1991
(Set in Martinique)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DUCK--Clarion--1988
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS--G.P. Putnam's
Sons--1986
(Set in England, Italy, France, Norway, Belgium,
Poland, Russia, Germany, Hungary, Scotland, Spain,
and America)
SCARY, SCARY HALLOWEEN--Clarion--1986
MOTHER'S DAY MICE--Clarion--1986
NOELLE OF THE NUTCRACKER--Houghton Mifflin-1986
VALENTINE BEARS--Clarion--1983
ST. PATRICK'S DAY IN THE MORNING--Clarion—1980
My Favorite Jan Brett Books/Book Reviews:
The Mitten is a story about a boy named Nicki who asks his
grandmother Baba to make him a pair of mittens to keep warm in the
snow. He begs for a pair of white mittens, but Baba explains that he
will never find them if he loses them in the snow. Nevertheless, Baba
makes him the white mittens. As all grandmothers are, Baba was right,
and Nicki drops his white glove in the snow not realizing it is missing.
One by one the animals of the forest find it and climb in to keep warm
stretching the mitten more and more each time. From a tiny mole all
the way up to a big brown bear, the mitten gets larger and larger. The
great big bear then sneezed a great sneeze and all of the animals went
flying out of the mitten. When Nicki finally finds his mitten and takes it
home to Baba, he sees the mitten is three times the size of the other
one!
The Hat is a story about a young girl named Lisa preparing for
the winter time. She hangs her winter clothes outside to dry.
The wind blows off a stocking and is found is found by a Hedge
Hog named Hedgie. When Hedgie wants to see what exactly it
is, he pokes his nose in and it gets stuck to his prickles. His
friends enter the book when they come and laugh at him,
especially when he pretends he put the stocking on his head
purposely. When Lisa finally catches up to Hedgie to take her
stocking back, she realizes all the other animals took her other
winter clothes to wear them!
There are many activities that can go hand and hand with this
book including laminating pictures from the book and placing
them on a clothesline in chronological order!
The Gingerbread Baby is a play on the traditional story of
the Gingerbread man. He “run, run runs as fast as he can” to
get away from animals and other characters in this story
only to find that there is always somewhere to run to!
Matti, the only one not chasing the Gingerbread baby is at
home making him a little Gingerbread house for him to run
into after all of the commotion of the chase!
Gingerbread Friends is a book based on Jan Brett’s last
book, Gingerbread Baby. The Gingerbread baby is the
main character once again, however, this time he is
looking for friends. He stumbles along a bakery and sees
some “sweet treats,” but is ignored by all of them. Sad
and discouraged, he slumps home only to find that
Mattie has made him a whole bunch of his own
Gingerbread friends.
In this story, Jan Brett introduces two couples, one from
the country and one from the city, who are eager to get
away from their lives. They decide to switch places and
soon discover the reasons why they love where they
came from. The country mice encounter a kitchen cat
that chases them all night, and the town mice come
across a country owl that is looking for food. Finally, the
town mice and the country mice give up and move back
to their own homes. In this story children can see why
they shouldn’t take what they have for granted!
This folktale, Trouble with Trolls, is based on the legends
of the trolls that live on the top of Mount Baldy. Legend
has it the trolls want one thing and one thing only…a dog.
Treva, the main character, takes her dog, Tuffi, with her as
she leaves to go skiing on the top of the mountain. Treva
has to think quickly on her feet to get the trolls to leave
her alone so she can keep her dog. She carefully outwits
the sneaky trolls so that she can make it both up and
down the mountain with Tuffi!
Literature Response Activities
Character Masks: Reader’s Theater, The 3 Little Dassies
The Agama Man
Click here for PDF Format
The Eagle
Click here for PDF Format
Mimbi
Click here for PDF Format
Timbi
Click here for PDF Format
Pimbi
Click here for PDF Format
Literature Response Activities
Digital Post Cards
They can be filled out online and sent by email!
Literature Response Activities
Incentive Chart
This can be used with students with Behavior Disorders
Literature Response Activities
Character Book
Use the template to cut pages for the inside of the book, then using the pattern on a white paper
plate, cut the top and left side edges of the plate to make the hedgehog's prickles.