Martin, Jacqueline Briggs 1945-

views updated May 14 2018

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs 1945-

Personal

Born April 15, 1945, in Lewiston, ME; daughter of Hugh C., Jr. (a dairy farmer) and Alice (a homemaker and cook) Briggs; married Richard Martin (a college professor), June 17, 1967; children: Sarah E., Justin A. Education: Wellesley College, B.A., 1966; University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development, M.A., 1971. Hobbies and other interests: Camping, hiking, growing roses and hot peppers.

Addresses

Office—312 Second Ave. N., Mt. Vernon, IA 52314. E-mail—jacqueline@jacquelinebriggsmartin.com.

Career

Children's book author. Instructor in creative writing at Cornell College, University of Iowa, Loft Literary Center, and Hamlin University.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Authors Guild.

Awards, Honors

Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies commendation, National Council for the Social Studies/Children's Book Council (NCSS/CBC), 1995, for Washing the Willow Tree Loon, and 1997, for The Green Truck Garden Giveaway; Notable Book citation, American Library Association (ALA), and Lupine Award, Maine Librarians, both 1996, and Children's Book of Distinction designation, Hungry Mind Review, all for Grandmother Bryant's Pocket; Lupine Award, 1998, for Snowflake Bentley, and 2003, for The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig; Notable Book citation, ALA, Notable Social Studies Trade Book citation, NCSS/CBC, and Notable Books for Children citation, Smithsonian magazine, all 2001, all for The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish. Snowflake Bentley, illustrated by Mary Azarian, received the Caldecott Award, ALA, 1999; The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, illustrated by Beth Krommes, received the Golden Kite Award for Illustration, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, 2001.

Writings

FICTION

Bizzy Bones and Uncle Ezra, illustrated by Stella Ormai, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard (New York, NY), 1984.

Bizzy Bones and Moosemouse, illustrated by Stella Ormai, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard (New York, NY), 1986.

Bizzy Bones and the Lost Quilt, illustrated by Stella Ormai, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard (New York, NY), 1988.

Good Times on Grandfather Mountain, illustrated by Susan Gaber, Orchard (New York, NY), 1992.

The Finest Horse in Town, illustrated by Susan Gaber, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1992.

Washing the Willow Tree Loon, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1995.

The Second Street Gardens and the Green Truck Almanac, illustrated by Alec Gillman, Four Winds Press (New York, NY), 1995, published as The Green Truck Garden Giveaway: A Neighborhood Story and Almanac, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997.

Grandmother Bryant's Pocket, illustrated by Petra Mathers, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1996.

Higgins Bend Song and Dance, illustrated by Brad Sneed, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1997.

Button, Bucket, Sky, illustrated by Vicki Jo Redenbaugh, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1998.

Snowflake Bentley, illustrated by Mary Azarian, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1998.

The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, illustrated by Beth Krommes, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2001.

The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig, illustrated by Linda Wingerter, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2003.

On Sand Island, illustrated by David Johnson, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2003.

(With daughter Sarah Martin Busse) Banjo Granny, illustrated by Barry Root, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2006.

Chicken Joy on Redbean Road: A Bayou Country Romp, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2007.

Chiru in High Tibet, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2008.

OTHER

(With Sharron L. McElmeel) Jacqueline Briggs Martin and You, Libraries Unlimited (Westport, CT), 2006.

Sidelights

Jacqueline Briggs Martin's award-winning books for young readers reflect both their author's love of the past and her respect for the environment. While her tales may wander as far afield as the rocky coastline of Maine or a bustling city street, and may recount events taking place as long ago as the late eighteenth century or as recently as yesterday, they are unified by their author's enthusiasm for the people and places that make up her fictional worlds and for sharing those worlds with children. "I hope readers will find friends in my stories," Martin once explained to SATA, "people they want to visit again and again, people who become part of their memories, and their own stories."

"Since I was a child, I have loved the sounds of words," Martin once confided. "And I have loved stories. Though writing books is not always easy, I cannot imagine doing anything else. Every day I get to work with words that tell a story." Born in Lewiston, Maine, in 1945, she was raised in the countryside, where her appreciation for nature and her interest in the history of both her family and her town grew. "As a child I spent much time wandering in the fields and forests of our farm in Maine, wondering about the generations who lived there before we did," the author once recalled.

Although Martin's first three books, featuring a character called Bizzy Bones, were inspired by her then-young-son Justin, her 1996 picture book, Grandmother Bryant's Pocket, reflects her own childhood. Drawn back to 1787, readers of Grandmother Bryant's Pocket meet eight-year-old Sarah Bryant, who is haunted by bad dreams after her dog is killed in a horrible fire. Convinced that a change of scene will help their daughter recover from her pet's tragic death, Sarah's parents send the girl to stay with her Grandmother Bryant. A woman full of wonderful stories and knowledgeable in the ways of natural medicines and healing, Grandmother Bryant carries herbs and bandages in her pocket, a drawstring pouch worn, tied around the waist, by women of the period. Describing Martin's text as "eloquent" and [with] the force of a prose poem," a Publishers Weekly critic hailed Grandmother Bryant's Pocket as "a pleasingly timeless historical tale." Comparing the book to the "Little House" stories by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Deborah Stevenson praised the work in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, noting that while Martin's "telling use of detail effectively creates a world very far away from now, [her] respectful and understanding treatment of Sarah's fear … and of her enduring grief … adds a timeless touch."

Good Times on Grandfather Mountain was inspired by an article Martin read concerning a man who whittled musical instruments out of wood taken from everything from fence posts to abandoned cabins. "I have always been fascinated by people who make beautiful objects out of what others might call junk," recalled Martin, "and [I] wanted to make up a story of such a person." In Good Times on Grandfather Mountain Old Washburn turns bad situations around with his pocket knife. When his milk cow runs away, or his vegetable garden becomes infested with insects, he gathers up whatever wood remains, applies his pocket knife, and creates something musical. Undaunted when his home is destroyed during a bad storm, Old Washburn whittles himself up a fiddle from the floorboards that remain and starts playing a jig. His jaunty melody not only calls the mischievous cow back home but draws out his neighbors as well, and the old man's affairs are soon set to rights with some neighborly help. Martin's "wry, nicely cadenced narration gives her tale a hearty folk-tale flavor," noted a Kirkus Reviews critic, the reviewer dubbing Good Times on Grandfather Mountain "entertaining, original, and beautifully produced."

Martin's love of music also inspired Banjo Granny, a story written in collaboration with her daughter, Sarah Martin Busse. Featuring warm-toned artwork by Barry Root and an original bluegrass tune titled "Owen's Song," the gentle, rhyming story focuses on a grandmother's love for her new grandchild. When Baby Owen is born, his grandmother is determined to travel the distance to see him, no matter the hot deserts, tall mountains, or fast-moving rivers that may stand in her path. The fact that the infant wiggles to the sound of bluegrass music only adds to her zeal, and Grandma packs her banjo for the trip, which finds her traveling by very unusual—and humorous—means. Briggs and Busse employ "a finely tuned bluegrass twang" in their tale-telling, according to School Library Journal contributor Tamara E. Richman, the critic adding that their "narrative's cadence and traditional structure make the tale feel timeless." Praising Banjo Granny as "light-hearted and endearing," a Publishers Weekly contributor dubbed the mother-daughter collaboration "a celebration of the bond between grandparent and child," and Booklist critic Hazel Rochman predicted that the rhyming story will be "exactly right for the lap-sitting crowd."

Also in the folk-tale/tall-tale genre is Higgins Bend Song and Dance, which Martin wrote because "I love rivers," as she once told SATA. "I like the notion of a contest between an old grouch and a smart catfish. And I love the banter between two old friends who don't always agree." Higgins Bend Song and Dance is the story of a single-minded fisherman named Simon Henry who vows to catch a crafty catfish named Oscar. However, Oscar proves too wily for the boastful man, until Simon Henry comes up with one last, tantalizing bait selection. In Kirkus Reviews a critic called the work "a meaty tale of the quest for an uncatchable fish" that is "told in folksy, irresistible language." Jody McCoy, writing in School Library Journal, maintained that the story would be "pure pleasure for any who are or know dedicated (obsessed) fishermen," the critic adding that Martin's "whopper of a fish tale also makes a good read-aloud."

Featuring a story that takes readers into the past, The Finest Horse in Town also has its roots in Martin's family history. The story involves two sisters—the author's great-aunts Stella and Cora—who owned a dry-goods and clothing store in a small Maine town. They also owned a beautiful, gray, carriage horse named Prince. Memories of Prince and the sisters are recalled years later by an elderly local watchmaker, and because the man's memories are spotty, the story's narrator speculates on what adventures the sisters might have had with their horse. A Publishers Weekly reviewer praised The Finest Horse in Town, citing the book's "nostalgic sing-song language and descriptions of village life." Deborah Abbott complimented the story in her Booklist review, writing that The Finest Horse in Town "transports readers back in history to reflect upon the joys and cares of people and a horse named Prince."

The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish is a partially fictionalized account of an actual Arctic maritime catastrophe: the sinking of the ship Karluk in the winter of 1913-14. The ship was on a research expedition and contained several Canadian scientists, as well as their Inupiaq assistants. One of the Inupiaq hunter-guides, Kurraluk, had also brought his wife, who became the expedition's seamstress, and his two daughters, Pagnasuk and Makpii. The story is told from the point of view of eight-year-old Pagnasuk, with "the scrupulous use of such words as ‘perhaps’ and ‘I think’" indicating that Martin sometimes guesses how her young protagonist would have felt during her adventure, as a reviewer explained in Horn Book. Characteristically, Martin's use of language in The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish was praised by many reviewers, Booklist critic Gillian Engberg commenting that "the quiet, intriguing language, with a poet's attention to sound, will lull young ones into the story's drama."

Martin's inspiration for another historical book, On Sand Island, was her own visit to that island in Lake Superior. On Sand Island tells the story of ten-year-old Carl and his quest to build his own boat. For materials, Carl scavenges driftwood boards from a nearby beach. Within his small, tight-knit Scandinavian-American community, he then trades his own labor, picking strawberries and moving rocks, in exchange for help from his neighbors in constructing the trickier parts of the vessel. Martin's story is "told in the rhythms of lapping water," a Publishers Weekly contributor observed, and in Booklist Engberg wrote that the author "deftly balances small, revealing details about the island's characters and Carl's life with the particulars of boat building."

Boats also feature in The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig, the story of Isabelle, her pet pig, and her grandfather, a former captain of sailing ships. Grandfather has the "water gift," the ability to find underground water with a forked stick called a divining rod. Or at least he did; after several failures, Grandfather gives up divining. However, when Isabelle's pig goes missing, she remembers that the water gift can also be used to find animals. The formerly shy, reserved little girl eventually takes charge of the situation and convinces Grandfather to use his gifts to rescue the pig. Martin's "narration is at once the dreamy voice of a child and the detailed, imagery-laden voice of a master storyteller," noted a Kirkus Reviews contributor, and in Publishers Weekly a reviewer wrote of The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig that "Martin elegantly unfurls a story filled with memorable characters and colorful details, as well as comforting images of loyalty and family ties."

Featuring a cumulative tale as colorful as the Louisiana zydeco music that inspired it, Chicken Joy on Redbean Road: A Bayou Country Romp focuses on a farmyard where the ruling blue-headed rooster is in a pickle: he is threatened with a future as rooster stew after he loses his voice to a case of the chicken measles. A brown hen named Miss Cleoma, the rooster's greatest fan, is determined to help her friend regain his cock-a-doodle-do. When she reckons that music is the way to do that, she undertakes an adventurous quest for Joe Beebee, the best fiddler there is. Citing the "fine turns of phrase" that highlight Martin's text, Janice Del Negro wrote in Booklist that the "exuberant" illustrations by Melissa Sweet add to the book's Cajun flavor. In School Library Journal Marge Loch-Wouters also praised the picture book, noting that Martin's "rollicking, multilayered tale is "saturated in Cajun and Creole cadences and sensibilities."

Among Martin's stories dealing with more contemporary themes is the award-winning picture book Washing the Willow Tree Loon. Published in 1995, the book recounts the efforts of people living along the coast of Turtle Bay to rescue a loon that had become soaked in oil leaked by a barge that hit a bridge while traversing the bay. Found hiding under a willow tree, the bird is cared for by a group of citizens who are varied in age and occupation. "The well-drawn text has a gentle rhythm and infuses an appealing story with interesting information," wrote Horn Book reviewer Margaret Bush, the critic praising Martin's inclusion of endnotes describing bird rehabilitation.

As in the case of Washing the Willow Tree Loon, Martin is frequently inspired with an idea for a new book by something she has read. "When I read about Dan Barker building and giving away gardens in Portland, Oregon, I knew I wanted to write a children's book about giving away gardens," she once told SATA. "And I wanted readers to be able to make gardens for themselves, or gardens to give away." The Green Truck Garden Giveaway: A Neighborhood Story and Almanac was the result of Martin's interest in Barker's work. The story opens on a Saturday morning, as a strange, green truck full of soil and seeds rolls down an unkempt city street. The truck's two passengers persuade even the most reluctant residents to attempt a seed garden; they also pass out pamphlets full of gardening tips and inspiration. Soon, the entire neighborhood is transformed into a paradise as the residents become inspired to clean up yards and vacant lots and rescue untamed tangles of raspberry plants from rubbish and weeds. Martin, an avid gardener, includes a wealth of gardening lore in addition to her central story. "I wanted this book to have enough information to be the gift of a garden in itself," the author explained.

In addition to stories that mirror her family's history or deal with contemporary issues of interest, Martin has also written a series of stories in a lighter vein. In Bizzy Bones and Uncle Ezra, which was her first published book for children, two mice set up housekeeping in an abandoned work boot. When the younger mouse, Bizzy Bones, worries that the shoe will blow away in the brisk, whistling March winds, the elder mouse, Uncle Ezra, finds a way to calm the mouseling by constructing a colorful carousel that captures the early spring gusts and sets them spinning. Other books featuring the young Bizzy Bones include Bizzy Bones and Moosemouse and Bizzy Bones and the Lost Quilt.

"My stories often start with something that has happened to me, or to people that I love," Martin once told SATA in discussing her development as a children's book author. "Sometimes they start with a question. For example, Washing the Willow Tree Loon began when I read an article about bird washing and asked myself, ‘Who would want to wash birds?’ Higgins Bend Song and Dance began with the question ‘Who wins when a crafty old fisherman vows to catch a catfish that is just as crafty?’

"Some books begin with things I love to do, such as collecting acorns to plant oak trees (Button, Bucket, Sky)." One of Martin's best-known books "began with a snowflake and a memory of a brief article about a man who said he ‘loved snow more that anything else in the world.’ I read Wilson Bentley's articles about snow, looked at some of the thousands of photographs he took of individual snow crystals, read about his life, visited the farmhouse where he had lived, and eventually wrote Snowflake Bentley.

"When I am writing, I become obsessed with the world of my work and have been known to walk into shelves, or other people, because I am thinking so hard about my characters. I live with them and am always a little sad to finish a story."

Biographical and Critical Sources

BOOKS

McElmeel, Sharron, L., and Jacqueline Brigs Martin, Jacqueline Briggs Martin and You, Libraries Unlimited (Westport, CT), 2006.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 1992, Hazel Rochman, review of Good Times on Grandfather Mountain, p. 80; June 15, 1992, Deborah Abbott, review of The Finest Horse in Town, pp. 1849-1850; August, 1993, Nancy McCray, review of Celebrating Authors: Meet Jacqueline Briggs Martin, p. 67; December 15, 1995, Leone McDermott, review of Washing the Willow Tree Loon, p. 709; May 15, 1996, Leone McDermott, review of Grandmother Bryant's Pocket, p. 1592; May 1, 1997, Carolyn Phelan, review of Green Truck Garden Giveaway: A Neighborhood Story and Almanac, pp. 1501-1502; October 1, 1998, Ilene Cooper, review of Snowflake Bentley, p. 323; March 1, 2001, Gillian Engberg, review of The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, p. 1273; August, 2003, Gillian Engberg, review of On Sand Island, p. 1981; November 1, 2006, Hazel Rochman, review of Banjo Granny, p. 58; February 15, 2007, Janice Del Negro, review of Chicken Joy on Redbean Road: A Bayou Country Romp, p. 84.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March, 1992, review of Good Times on Grandfather Mountain, p. 186; July, 1992, review of The Finest Horse in Town, p. 300; July-August, 1996, Deborah Stevenson, review of Grandmother Bryant's Pocket, pp. 363-364; January, 2007, Deborah Stevenson, review of Banjo Granny, p. 205; April, 2007, Deborah Stevenson, review of Chicken Joy on Redbean Road, p. 337.

Des Moines Register (Des Moines, IA), February 7, 1999, review of Snowflake Bentley, p. 1; October 13, 1999, Dave DeValois, "Author Shares Writing Tips," p. 4.

Horn Book, May-June, 1992, Nancy Vasilakis, review of Good Times on Grandfather Mountain, pp. 332-333; September-October, 1995, Margaret Bush, review of Washing the Willow Tree Loon, p. 591; July-August, 1996, Hanna B. Zeiger, review of Grandmother Bryant's Pocket, p. 460; September-October, 1998, Elizabeth S. Watson, review of Snowflake Bentley, p. 622; March, 2001, review of The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, p. 198; May-June, 2003, Anita L. Burkam, review of The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig, p. 331.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 1992, review of Good Times on Grandfather Mountain, pp. 186-187; October 15, 1995, p. 1496; July 1, 1997, review of Higgins Bend Song and Dance, p. 1032; April 1, 2003, review of The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig, p. 537; July 15, 2003, review of On Sand Island, p. 966; November 1, 2006, review of Banjo Granny, p. 1121; March 1, 2007, review of Chicken Joy on Redbean Road, p. 227.

New York Times Book Review, April 27, 1997, Erin St. John Kelly, review of Grandmother Bryant's Pocket, p. 29; April 15, 2001, Heather Vogel Frederick, review of The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, p. 25; September 21, 2003, Stephanie Deutsch, review of The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig, p. 27.

Publishers Weekly, February 12, 1988, review of Bizzy Bones and the Lost Quilt, pp. 84-85; February 3, 1992, review of Good Times on Grandfather Mountain, p. 80; June 22, 1992, review of The Finest Horse in Town, p. 61; February 5, 1996, review of Grandmother Bryant's Pocket, p. 89; April 7, 1997, review of The Green Truck Garden Giveaway, p. 92; June 8, 1998, review of Button, Bucket, Sky, p. 59; August 31, 1998, review of Snowflake Bentley, p. 75; December 18, 2000, review of The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, p. 78; March 31, 2003, review of The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig, p. 67; July 21, 2003, review of On Sand Island, p. 194; October 30, 2006, review of Banjo Granny, p. 60.

Reading Teacher, December-January, 1992, Lee Galda, review of The Finest Horse in Town, pp. 330-338.

School Library Journal, November, 1984, Susan Powers, review of Bizzy Bones and Uncle Ezra, p. 112; October, 1986, Cathy Woodward, review of Bizzy Bones and Moosemouse, p. 164; June-July, 1988, Ruth Semrau, review of Bizzy Bones and the Lost Quilt, p. 93; August, 1992, Charlene Strickland, review of The Finest Horse in Town, p. 144; October, 1993, Leah Hawkins, review of Celebrating Authors, p. 67; October, 1995, Ellen Fader, review of Washing the Willow Tree Loon, p. 108; June, 1996, Virginia Golodetz, review of Grandmother Bryant's Pocket, p. 105; June, 1997, John Sigwald, review of The Green Truck Garden Giveaway, p. 98; September 19, 1997, Jody McCoy, review of Higgins Bend Song and Dance, pp. 187-188; September, 1998, Tom S. Hurlburt, review of Button, Bucket, Sky, p. 176, and Virginia Golodetz, review of Snowflake Bentley, pp. 194-195; July, 2001, Sue Sherif, review of The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, p. 96; June, 2003, Marianne Saccardi, review of The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig, p. 112; November, 2003, Susannah Price, review of On Sand Island, p. 110; December, 2006, Tamara E. Richman, review of Banjo Granny, p. 95; March, 2007, Marge Loch-Wouters, review of Chicken Joy on Redbean Road, p. 180.

Teacher Librarian, May, 1999, Shirley Lewis, review of Snowflake Bentley, p. 47.

ONLINE

Houghton Mifflin Web site,http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/ (November 20, 2003), "Jacqueline Briggs Martin."

Jacqueline Briggs Martin Home Page,http://www.jacquelinebriggsmartin.com (March 28, 2008).

OTHER

Celebrating Authors: Meet Jacqueline Briggs Martin (video tape), 1993.

Something About the Author

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs 1945-

views updated May 23 2018

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs 1945-

PERSONAL:

Born April 15, 1945, in Lewiston, ME; daughter of Hugh C., Jr. (a dairy farmer) and Alice (a homemaker and cook) Briggs; married Richard Martin (a college professor), June 17, 1967; children: Sarah E., Justin A. Education: Wellesley College, B.A., 1966; University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development, M.A., 1971. Hobbies and other interests: Camping, hiking, growing roses and hot peppers.

ADDRESSES:

Office—312 Second Ave. N., Mt. Vernon, IA 52314. E-mail—jacqueline@jacquelinebriggsmartin.com.

CAREER:

Children's book author. Instructor in creative writing at Cornell College, University of Iowa, Loft Literary Center, and Hamlin University.

MEMBER:

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Authors Guild.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies commendation, National Council for the Social Studies/Children's Book Council (NCSS/CBC), 1995, for Washing the Willow Tree Loon, and 1997, for The Green Truck Garden Giveaway; Notable Book citation, American Library Association (ALA), and Lupine Award, Maine Librarians, both 1996, and Children's Book of Distinction designation, Hungry Mind Review, all for Grandmother Bryant's Pocket; Lupine Award, 1998, for Snowflake Bentley, and 2003, for The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig; Notable Book citation, ALA, Notable Social Studies Trade Book citation, NCSS/CBC, and Notable Books for Children citation, Smithsonian magazine, all 2001, all for The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish. Snowflake Bentley, illustrated by Mary Azarian, received the Caldecott Award, ALA, 1999; The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, illustrated by Beth Krommes, received the Golden Kite Award for Illustration, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

WRITINGS: