Lisa Jahn-Clough ( - )

Genre: Children's Literature

Jahn-Clough, a children's picture book author and illustrator, spent the first ten years of her life on a farm in Rhode Island (except for two years living Norway), spending summers on Monhegan Island, Maine. Her family moved to coastal Maine when she was 10; she grew up in Brunswick, later lived in the Boston area, and now lives in Portland, Maine. The director of Children's Writing Certificate Program at Emerson College in Boston, where she's taught for several years, Jahn-Clough also leads workshops for elementary school children on book-making and for adults on writing, illustrating and publishing children's books. Her B.A. is from Hampshire College (1984), her M.F.A. in creative writing from Emerson College (1993). Amazon provides an interview with Jahn-Clough (her e-mail address is also available). Her website also offers more biographical information.

Books include:

• Alicia and Her Happy Way of Life (1991)
• Alicia's Evil Side (1992)
• Alicia Has a Bad Day (1994), in which Alicia thinks she's having the worst day of her life and goes back to bed
• My Happy Birthday Book (1996): Introduces a heroine who vibrates off the page with glee. She wears a crown, toots her own horn, leads the parade, and welcomes all presents. And why not? It's her birthday, the day when even the shyest child throws off the shackles of civilization and sings me, me, ME! Childlike drawings bounce along with their heroine in colorful, energetic celebration (Kirkus review)
• ABC Yummy (1997), which takes listeners on a delicious excursion through the alphabet. A lesson plan for ABC Yummy is available online.
• 123 Yipee (1998), a counting book in which two children and an entire array of animals gather in a little house for a big party
• My Friend and I (1999), in which a new toy bunny is almost destroyed by two friends who won't share
• Missing Molly (2000), in which Molly hides too well while playing hide-and-seek with her friend Simon
• Simon and Molly Plus Hester (2001, 32 pp.), a story of friendship among three children
• A Big Bed for Jed (2002, written by Laurie Friedman and illustrated by Jahn-Clough)
• We're Painting (2002, written by Carol Snyder and illustrated by Jahn-Clough)
• Alicia's Best Friends (2003)
• On the Hill (2004)
• Country girl, City Girl (2004): When thirteen-year-old Melita, sophisticated daughter of a New York actress, comes to visit Phoebe, who has been raised by her father on a farm in Maine, Phoebe discovers she has confusing feelings about their developing friendship.
• Little Dog (2006), about an artist whose paintings are sad and gloomy until a stray dog wanders into her gallery, looking for someone to love.

Last Update: 06/04/2007

(Return to List)