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Presenting at Pond Cove Elementary
School
Photo by Chris Bulsa-Omeara
Jennifer Richard Jacobson grew up in a small
town in NH where she did not have her sights on writing. “I
always knew I would be a teacher,” says Jacobson who comes
from a long line of educators. “But, I did keep regular diaries
– great writing practice.” She also won her school essay contest.
While an undergrad at Lesley College, Jacobson
took a course in Children’s Literature and fell in love with
the genre. She played with writing for the next few years
while teaching, holding administrative positions, and getting
her M. Ed. at Harvard Graduate School of Education. It wasn’t
until she moved to Maine, and accepted a position as first
grade teacher, that she became determined to write a children’s
book. “I told my students we were going to write up a storm
that year. I was going to teach them everything I knew about
writing and they in turn would help me to become a better
writer. And they did.”
Jacobson refers to the novel she wrote that year as “practice,”
and although it will never be published, it kept her on the
path, kept her writing. When her daughter was born, she decided
to try her hand at a writing career. She wrote articles, books
for parents and teachers, teacher guides and “staple books”
for first grade reading programs – anything that would give
her the time and space to continue trying to break into the
children’s field.
Jacobson credits one of her freelance jobs for giving her
the understanding she needed to finally sell a children’s
book. Now the mother of two children, she accepted the challenge
of reading and reviewing 400 picture books for an educational
company in the process of creating reading anthologies. “My
children thought I was the greatest. I stayed in my pajamas
and read to them all day long.” Soon after this gig ended,
Jacobson went on a writing retreat and wrote her first saleable
book, A Net of Stars. “All of the things I had learned about
writing finally came together for me.” Three years later she
had her first signing and a few of those children from her
first grade class came to say hello. They were seniors in
high school.
Since that time, Jacobson has published picture books (A
Net of Stars and Moon Sandwich Mom), beginning readers (Andy
Shane and the Very Bossy Dolores Starbuckle, Andy Shane the
Pumpkin Trick), middle grade novels (Winnie Dancing On Her
Own, Truly Winnie and Winnie at Her Best) and a young adult
novel (Stained). Her books have been accepted as Library Guild
Selections and nominated to state award lists. Winnie Dancing
On Her Own was chosen as a Top Ten First Novel by Booklist.
Stained, was chosen as a Publisher's Weekly Best Children's
Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, New York Public Library
Book for the Teen Age and the Maine Lupine Award.
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