On the Far Side of the Mountain

Author Bio: Jean Craighead George

Jean Craighead George (1919–2012) was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts, and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, DC, home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants, and made fishhooks from twigs. In third grade she began writing—and went on to write over one hundred popular books for young adults and children, including the Newbery Medal–winning Julie of the Wolves and the Newbery Honor book My Side of the Mountain. Most of her books deal with topics related to the environment and the natural world. While George mostly wrote children’s fiction, she also wrote at least two guides to cooking with wild foods, and an autobiography, Journey Inward.