Naomi C. Chase Lecture in Children’s Literature

Summary by the author

Rachel Carson wrote a book, The Sense of Wonder, about sharing the wonder of the natural world with children. In that book she said, "If a child is to keep alive [their] inborn sense of wonder, [they] need the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with [them] the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in." It has been one of my goals to share with children and all readers stories that remind us of the "joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in." Among other things, this talk explores my journey of finding such stories, shaping such stories within the constraints of non-fiction, and the pleasures of sharing those stories.

Bio

Jacqueline Briggs Martin is the author of twenty-one picture books for children including Snowflake Bentley, which received a Caldecott medal in 1999.

Chef Roy Choi and the Streetfood Remix (2017; co-written with June Jo Lee, illustrated by Man One) received a Siebert Honor and an Orbis Pictus Honor.

Begin with a Bee (2021; co-written with Phyllis Root and Liza Ketchum) illustrated by Claudia McGehee received a Riverby Award which recognizes exceptional non-fiction natural history books for young readers. Begin with a Bee was also named a Green Earth honor book.

Creekfinding: A True Story (2017; illustrated by Claudia McGehee) received the Green Earth Award for Environmental Writing for Children. Creekfinding also received a Riverby Award.

Martin has been on the faculty at Hamline University’s Low Residency MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults and taught creative writing at the University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival.