Jacqueline Briggs Martin is an author of several picture books. She often uses experiences in her own life in her books. She got the idea for Bizzy Bones and Uncle Ezra from her son who was afraid of the wind. The story began as a young boy being afraid of the wind. After several revisions the boy became a mouse. The idea for a mouse character came from an experience she had with mice over-running her home while she was on vacation. If she ever visits your school ask her to tell you the story about the 43 mice plus that she found.

When she starts a new book she buys a new notebook and a new pen. All of the notes for that book - reading or ideas - go into that notebook. Her rough draft is written in the notebook by hand. Later she puts it on the computer. She thinks it is easier to revise on the computer. By using the computer she is able to try out new phrases. She says, "I still like to do the first draft by hand. It keeps me from writing too fast and, for me, gives the story a better foundation."

Each story is revised several times. After the final revision she puts the story away for several months. "This is very hard to do. Usually I am so excited about it that I want to send it to someone immediately." Sometimes if she does decide to send it off right away she says she has "been very embarrassed." That is because it takes a few months for the blemishes, writing mistakes, and shallow characters to show up. Things "that (she) did not see during the writing phase."

She got the idea for Washing the Willow Tree Loon from a magazine that told about oil spills and how the spill was affecting the wild life. She did a lot of research with about how to clean up birds covered with oil. Her book has an author's note that explains her research and things readers can do to be a part of cleaning up the environment. The American Bookseller named her book a "Pick of the Lists" for 1995.

Jacqueline Briggs Martin's first published book was Bizzy Bones and Uncle Ezra. Since then she has had seven more stories published. More books will be published in 1997/98.

Jacqueline Briggs Martin was born in Maine. She lived on a dairy farm during her childhood. One of the cows that the family owned was named Blanche Wisconsin. That cow showed up in her book Good Times on Grandfather Mountain.

Her book The Finest Horse in Town came about because she was investigating her ancestors, two of her mother's aunts, who owned a dry goods store in Maine. When she could only find out that they owned the "finest horse in town" she decided to use that as the core for her story but made up three episodes about what happened to the horse when the aunts were busy running the store.

Jacqueline Briggs Martin has visited our school often. When Jacqueline Briggs Martin was at our school in 1995 she read us the manuscript for the story Snowflake Bentley. When she came back in the fall of 1998 the book had recently been published with Mary Azarian's woodcut illustrations. In 1999, the illustrator, Mary Azarian, was given the Caldecott Award for the illustrations for Snowflake Bentley.

Jacqueline Briggs Martin lives in Iowa. For many years she was a preschool teacher and wrote books. Now she is a full-time writer but often visits schools and talks to her readers about her writing and stories. She visited Harrison in 1992, in the fall of 1995, and again in the fall of 1998. We enjoyed her visits.

Original text composed by Jessica and Aaron (1996); additions in 1999.

Visit Jacqueline Briggs Martin's home page. Information about her books and the Caldecott Award are on her website.

Books by Jacqueline Briggs Martin:

Bizzy Bones and Uncle Ezra
Illustrated Stella Ormai. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1984.

This is one of three books about a young mouse named Bizzy who lives with his Uncle Ezra in a work shoe home. In this book, Bizzy is afraid of the wind.

Bizzy Bones and Moosemouse
Illustrated Stella Ormai. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1986.

This is one of three books about a young mouse named Bizzy who lives with his Uncle Ezra in a work shoe home. In this book, Bizzy has a problem of not wanting to stay at Moosemouse's house.

Bizzy Bones and the Lost Quilt
Illustrated Stella Ormai. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1988.

This is one of three books about a young mouse named Bizzy who lives with his Uncle Ezra in a work shoe home. In this book, Bizzy loses the quilt that he loves and his friends the Orchard Mice and Uncle Ezra help him find and repair his quilt with a tree patch.

Good Times on Grandfather Mountain
Illustrated by Susan Graber. Illustrated by Orchard, 1992.

Old Washburn was a fine whittler and he whittled things out of sticks of wood and other found objects. When his animals began to leave Washburn did not get upset he just used the fence posts and milk buckets and things the animals left behind to make useful musical instruments. Finally when his cabin blew down he made a fiddle out of the blown down cabin. When the music was heard in the valley all his neighbors and friends came to his mountain top home -- they danced and sang and helped Washburn build a new cabin.

The Finest Horse in Town
Illustrated by Susan Graber. HarperCollins, 1992.

The two sisters own a dry goods store and the finest horse in town. Part of this story is true and part is imaginary.

Washing the Willow Tree Loon
Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. Simon & Schuster, 1995.

When an oil barge hits a bridge the oil spills. Volunteers help to save the birds. This is the story of one loon that is rescued and returned to the river.

Grandmother Bryant's Pocket
Illustrated by Petra Mathers. Houghton Mifflin, 1996.

This story, set in 1787, and tells of Sarah Bryant who lives on a farm in Maine. After a fire Sarah has terrible night dreams. Her grandmother tries to find a cure for Sarah's nightmares. Named on several "best book" or "notable" book lists including the ALA Notable book list.

The Green Truck Garden Giveaway: A Neighborhood Story and Almanac
Illustrated by Alec Gillman. Simon & Schuster, 1997.

Two strangers drive onto Second Street and offer to give away gardens. Nobody is interested, at first, and then Young Thomas, Aunt Olive, and the neighborhood grouch, McDermitt find that there is something they'd like to grow. Each page also has gardening information and hints for gardening.

Higgins Bend Song and Dance
Illustrated by Brad Sneed. Houghton Mifflin, 1997.

A tall-tale catfish story about Simon Henry, the best fisherman on the river who promises to sleep in his boots until he catches the wily catfish, Oscar.

Button Bucket Sky
Carolrhoda, 1998.

A story of finding acorns and planting trees.

Snowflake Bentley
Illustrated by Mary Azarian
Houghton Mifflin, 1998.

A Vermont farmer, Snowflake Bentley, who loved snowflakes shares his enthusiasm through his photographs of snowflakes.

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