Jean Craighead George (b. 1919) has been writing since third grade. Her lifelong passion for nature has led her to foster more than 170 wild animals as pets in her backyard, and many of these animals have become characters in her novels. George has won several awards for her books, including a Newbery Honor for My Side of the Mountain and a Newbery Medal for Julie of the Wolves. She lives in Chappaqua, New York.
