Mittens. Hats. Gingerbread babies. Snowy settings.
What do they have in common? Winter and Jan Brett!
Jan Brett, born in early December, is an American children’s author and illustrator with more than 44 million books in print.
Her most well-known books are The Mitten, The Hat, and her Gingerbread series, featuring Gingerbread Baby and Gingerbread Friends.
As a child, Jan fell in love with Beatrix Potter’s works, citing Potter’s illustrations and unique vocabulary. Jan liked that Potter’s word choices made her think.
Jan knew as a kindergartner that she wanted to be an illustrator. Jan promised herself that she would “create books that make [children] ask questions…and might have a word [they] don’t know.”
At first, Jan didn’t want to be a writer, saying she wasn’t very good at it. But Jan’s editor encouraged her to write about what she knows – and in 1981, Fritz and the Beautiful Horses was published. It was the first book written and illustrated by Jan.
Jan relies on her illustrations to tell the story, saying “there’s a lot of things you can tell in the pictures that you don’t have to tell in the stories.”
Jan’s unique illustration style sets her apart from other authors and illustrators, because she uses the entire page for her illustrations, including borders, side panels, and corner illustrations to help tell and expand the story.
Jan’s most-beloved books all occur in snowy settings, because she loves the snow and how it transforms everything. Jan loves the beauty, the colors, and the sparkle of snow in sunshine as much as she loves “blue time” – when the sun sets and turns the world to shades of blue.
Interested in reading some Winter-ful books? Come to DeKalb Public library and check out our collection of Jan Brett’s books.
Click on the title’s below to place a hold or call us at 815-756-9568 ext.3350 for help!
- Jan Brett’s The Nutcracker
- The Christmas Sweater
- The Wild Christmas Reindeer
- The Three Snow Bears
- The Snowy Nap
