Jan Brett

Jan Brett
Brett at the Arctic Circle in Nunavut, Canada, researching The Three Snow Bears, 2007
Born (1949-12-01) December 1, 1949 (age 76)
Norwell, Massachusetts
OccupationsIllustrator, writer
Writing career
Period1978–present
GenreChildren's picture books
Notable works
  • Annie and the Wild Animals
  • The Mitten
  • The Hat
Websitejanbrett.com

Jan Brett (born December 1, 1949) is an American illustrator and author of children's picture books. Her titles include The Mitten, The Hat, and Gingerbread Baby as well as retelling traditional stories such as the Gingerbread Man and Goldilocks.

Life

Brett was born and still lives in Massachusetts. She studied at the Colby Junior College (now Colby-Sawyer College) before transferring to School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It takes her an hour to hand-paint an inch in gouache for her intricate artwork.

On August 18, 1980 Jan Brett married bassist Joseph Hearne, a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It was the second marriage for both. The couple travel extensively, either with the orchestra or for Brett’s book research to Africa, the Arctic, China, Costa Rica, Japan, Martinique and Scandinavia. They embark on yearly nationwide bus tours for her books.

The couple live outside Boston and summer in an Adirondack-style log home on their 17-acres in the Berkshires. Together, they have three children.

Works

Illustrated

Source:

Written & Illustrated

Source:

  • Fritz and the Beautiful Horses (Houghton Mifflin, 1981)
  • Annie and the Wild Animals (1985)
  • The Twelve Days of Christmas (Dodd, Mead, 1986), an edition of the English song published 1780
  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1987)
  • The First Dog (1988)
  • The Mitten: a Ukrainian folktale (1989); issued as a board book in 1996
  • The Wild Christmas Reindeer (1990)
  • The Owl and the Pussycat (1991), an edition of the 1871 poem by Edward Lear
  • Berlioz the Bear (1991)
  • Christmas Trolls (1993)
  • Trouble with Trolls (1994)
  • Town Mouse Country Mouse (1994)
  • Armadillo Rodeo (1995)
  • The Mitten (1996)
  • Comets Nine Lives (1996)
  • Gingerbread Baby (1997)
  • The Hat (1997)
  • The Night Before Christmas (1998), an edition of the 1823 poem by Clement C. Moore
  • Daisy Comes Home (2002)
  • Hedgie's Surprise (2002)
  • Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve? (2002)
  • On Noah's Ark (2003)
  • The Umbrella (2002)
  • Honey, Honey, Lion! (2005)
  • Hedgie Loves to Read (2006)
  • Hedgie Blasts Off! (2006)
  • The Three Snow Bears (2007)
  • Gingerbread Friends (2008)
  • The Easter Egg (2010)
  • The 3 Little Dassies (2010)
  • Home for Christmas (2011)
  • Mossy (2012)
  • Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella (2013), an adaptation of Cinderella
  • The Animals' Santa (2014)
  • The Turnip (2015), an adaptation of the Russian folk story The Gigantic Turnip
  • Gingerbread Christmas (2016)
  • The Mermaid (2017), an under the sea version of Goldilocks and The Three Bears
  • The Snowy Nap (2018)
  • The Tale of the Tiger Slippers (2019)
  • Cozy (2020)
  • The Nutcracker (2021)
  • Cozy in Love (2022)
  • Alice in a Winter Wonderland (2024)
  • The Christmas Sweater (2025)

Awards

Brett's works have been nominated for and won multiple awards over the years.

Reception

Many of Brett's books have been positively received by libraries and parents alike.

In May 2023 at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York, an exhibition was hosted dedicated to Brett's Illustrations.

References

  1. 1 2 "Jan Brett". Jan Brett. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
  2. 1 2 "This Children's Book Legend Has Her Own Tour Bus, & We Rode Along". Romper. 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  3. 1 2 Lawlor, Julia (2009-09-24). "Nest for a Children's Author, Her Family and Her Flock". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  4. ↑ Edwards, David Noel (2023-01-15). "INTERVIEW: Double bassist Joe Hearne on six decades playing with the BSO". The Berkshire Edge. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  5. 1 2 "Books by Jan Brett and Complete Book Reviews". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  6. ↑ Bunting, Eve (1988). Happy Birthday, Dear Duck. Clarion Books. ISBN 978-0-89919-541-4.
  7. ↑ Bunting, Eve (1986). The Mother's Day Mice. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-89919-702-9.
  8. ↑ Bunting, Eve (1986). Scary, Scary Halloween. Clarion Books. ISBN 978-0-89919-799-9.
  9. ↑ Jane, Pamela (November 1988). Noelle of the Nutcracker. Random House Children's Books. ISBN 978-0-553-15673-7.
  10. ↑ "Jan Brett | Author | LibraryThing". LibraryThing.com. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  11. ↑ "Jan Brett Receives Regina Medal from Catholic Library Association". 15 February 2021.
  12. ↑ "Picture Book Review: The Mitten by Jan Brett". www.fulcolibrary.org. 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  13. ↑ "Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella". www.kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Media LLC. 13 November 2013. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  14. ↑ "Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella". www.publishersweekly.com. PWxyz LLC. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "Mossy". www.kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Media LLC. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  16. ↑ Barry, Rebecca Rego (2021-05-03). "The Cozy, Homey, Intricate Illustrations of Jan Brett". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2024-03-18.