We lost Sendak only a week ago.
Still reeling from that, I was gut punched with the news of Carlos Fuentes dying today (see my earlier post). Still teary after a busy day, I came home and settled in only to find on Facebook via a beautiful tribute photo, news from Wendell Minor that another beloved writer has died at the grand old age of 92.
NO!
I’m not done processing Carlos Fuentes yet!
I grew up with Ms. George’s books. MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN AND JULIE OF THE WOLVES in particular really resonated. I loved those books and they taught me about nature. I walked with Jean in my imagination and her books. I grew to be a woman who loves every leaf, who will stop dead in the middle of the street to photograph a cloud or lie down on the dirty pavement to get a close up of a praying mantis to show the grandkids. I find beauty in spider webs and browning petals because of Jean Craighead George. My children and my grandchildren have a profound love of nature because of her. When we go on our Grammy, Jasmine and Aiden hikes in the Pasadena Arroyo we are doing that because Jean Craighead George instilled in me a love of hiking through nature a long, long time ago.
She will be deeply, deeply missed by the world. It is truly a sad day for literature.
Links below, and as is our custom, we will be posting them as they come in.
Publisher’s Lunch (also mentions Fuentes)
My dear friends at the Cybils
New York Times (finally)
