Acclaimed American children’s author and folklorist Jane Yolen, whose prolific six-decade career produced 450 books including the Holocaust classic The Devil’s Arithmetic, has died aged 87, per timesofisrael.com.
Her family confirmed she passed away peacefully on June 11 at her home in Hatfield, Massachusetts, surrounded by her children who read to her in her final moments.
Born in New York City on February 11, 1939, Yolen published her first book at the age of 22 and became one of the most versatile and celebrated figures in children’s literature. Dubbed “the Hans Christian Andersen of America,” her extensive bibliography spanned picture books, poetry, fantasy and young adult fiction.
Her signature 1988 novella, The Devil’s Arithmetic, a time-travel story about a secular Jewish teenager transported to a Polish village during the Holocaust, became a staple of school curricula and was later adapted into an Emmy Award-winning film. Yolen initially resisted writing Jewish-themed literature but went on to incorporate folklore and historical realities into multiple acclaimed titles.
Beyond historical fiction, Yolen won the prestigious Caldecott Medal for her 1987 picture book Owl Moon and achieved commercial success with her popular How Do Dinosaurs… preschool series. Her final novel, Monsters of Fife: Terror Birds, is scheduled for posthumous publication on July 14.
Yolen’s death marks the loss of a titanic legacy in modern children’s literature. Through her extensive mentoring of emerging writers and her ability to engage reluctant young readers across generations, she fundamentally shaped the landscape of fantasy and educational fiction.
•Featured image: Jane Yolen/Beth Gwinn/Getty
