Name Ann Jonas Role Writer | Education Cooper Union | |
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Died September 29, 2013, Rhinebeck, New York, United States Books Round trip, Color dance, The quilt, Aardvarks - disembark!, Now We Can Go | ||
Read aloud Splash! By Ann Jonas
Ann Jonas (January 28, 1932 – September 29, 2013) was a writer and illustrator of several picture books for children. Her books often used odd, abstract images in order to stretch children's imaginations.
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Biography
Jonas lived most of her childhood in Long Island. She enjoyed horseback riding, and became a babysitter to help raise funds for her rides. Her interest in art was recognized and nurtured by her parents. Her teachers also encouraged her by allowing her to design and paint the sets of plays. After many disappointing jobs, she decided to attend Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. After graduation, she began work in graphic design, and married fellow artist Donald Crews. After her husband was drafted into the army in 1963, they moved to Frankfurt, Germany. Their first daughter, Nina Crews was born in Germany, and their second, Amy, was born a year later in New York.
When they returned to the United States, Jonas continued her work in graphic art, while her husband began to focus on illustrating children's books. Many years later, when their daughters were almost ready for college, Jonas wrote and illustrated her first children's book When You Were a Baby, in 1982, although it wouldn't be published for another nine years. Her 1983 book Round Trip was recognized as an ALA Notable Book and a New York Times "Best Illustrated Book". In 1985 Jonas won the Caldecott Honor Book Holes and Peeks
Jonas and her husband lived in the state of New York in an old restored farmhouse overlooking the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains.