Jeanette Winter

Jeanette Winter
Born	1938 (age 86–87) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Author and illustrator
Spouse	Roger Winter
Children	Jonah Winter

Jeanette Winter (born 1938) is an American author and illustrator. She is best known for her children's books, many of which are about women in history, including activists, athletes and artists. ^[1]

Career

Jeanette Winter is known for her "simple, clean style" ^[2] of painted illustration, which uses flat planes of color and uncluttered compositions and has drawn comparisons to the folk art tradition. Winter has had a prolific career, working on dozens of children's books including books about Venus and Serena Williams, Malala, Iqbal Masih, Greta Thunberg, Alia Muhammad Baker ^[3] , and more. Her 2019 book Our House Is on Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet has been translated into twenty-one languages. ^[1] In addition to writing and illustrating her own books, Winter has also illustrated several books written by her son Jonah Winter. ^[4] Winter currently lives in New York City. ^[5]

Awards and honors

Winter's 1991 book Diego (authored by her son Jonah Winter) won the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book Award. ^[6] Her 2006 book Mama won the Boston Globe–Horn Picture Book Honor. ^[6] In 2010, her book Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan won the Jane Addams Children's Book Award in the Books for Younger Children category. ^[7] Her book The World Is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid won the 2018 Orbis Pictus Honor. ^[6]

Selected works

As author and illustrator

• The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq (2005)
• Mama: A True Story, in Which a Baby Hippo Loses His Mama During a Tsunami, But Finds a New Home, and a New Mama (2006)
• Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan (2009)
• Biblioburro: A True Story from Colombia (2010)
• Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan / Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan (2014)
• Nanuk the Ice Bear (2016)
• The World Is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid (2017)
• Our House Is on Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet (2019)
• Sisters: Venus & Serena Williams (2019)
• Sister Corita's Words and Shapes (2021)

As illustrator

The following titles were written by Jeanette Winter's son, Jonah Winter.

• Diego (1991)
• The Secret Project (2017)
• Oil (2020)
• The Little Owl & the Big Tree: A Christmas Story (2021)
• The Snow Man (2023)

References

1. "Jeanette Winter". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
2. Newman, Patricia. "Meet Jeanette Winter". Patricia Newman. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
3. "Heroism of Iraqi Librarian Inspires Story for Children". VOA. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
4. "Jeanette Winter Books, Author Biography, and Reading Level | Scholastic". www.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
5. "A Mighty Girl Creators Series: Interview with Jeanette Winter, Author and Illustrator". www.amightygirl.com. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
6. "Youth Literature Award Winners". University of Northern Iowa, Rod Library, Research Guides. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
7. "Jane Addams Children's Book Award 1953-2024, All In-Print Titles". Jane Addams Peace Association. Retrieved 8 April 2025.