Remembering Jane Yolen: A Legacy of Wonder
By guest author Charlotte Sandoval
“Fiction cannot recite the numbing numbers, but it can be that witness, that memory. A storyteller can attempt to tell the human tale, can make a galaxy out of the chaos, can point to the fact that some people survived even as most people died. And can remind us that the swallows still sing around the smokestacks.”
― Jane Yolen
On June 11, 2026, beloved author Jane Yolen went to her final rest. After 450 books, the last of which—Terror Birds, volume 2 of the Monsters of Fife series—will be published posthumously in July 2026, we can safely say that she had earned that rest.
Early life
Jane was born in 1939 to Jewish parents, in New York, and seems to have spent a happy childhood with her brother, Steve. The family moved from New York when she was only a year old. There can be no doubt of the impact roaming the beaches of California had on her work.
At 22, she surprised herself by leaving journalism behind and writing her first children’s book, Pirates in Petticoats (now available under the title Sea Queens). It would be the beginning of an incredible journey. A journey touched thousands, if not millions, of lives over the next few decades.
In the midst of marriage and raising three children, Yolen never stopped writing. She wrote everything from historical fiction to children’s books, fantasy, and science fiction, going on to major in English and Russian literature. She even served as the president for Science Fiction Writers of America into 1980s.
Her work
Her accomplishments are incredible and numerous. But what made her writing magical was her obvious love of words. When you read a Jane Yolen book, whether a beautifully illustrated picture book, or a novel set on the war-torn, heather-covered hills of Scotland, you can taste every word.
There is a flavor to her writing, as if she had a specific spice, unique to her own recipes. Jane herself once said, “I hope my tales sound as if they could be sung.”
Every word on the page matters, every detail placed deliberately, carefully, a perfect stitch in a rich tapestry. Her stories are silly and whimsical, such as the How Do Dinosaurs series. Other times, they were a gut punch, page after page, such as Prince Across the Water or Girl in a Cage. She had a unique talent for finding the distinct voice of each character. Every one became a living, breathing being under her pen, crying out to be remembered.
Jane had a great love of fairy tales. She was often said to have followed in the footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen and the Grimm brothers. She told stories that mattered, stories that stayed with you and made your heart beat faster.
Few of us can ever claim to leave such a legacy. From working with illustrators such as Tomie DePaola, to co-writing books with the likes of Bruce Coville and creating photography collections with Jason Stemple—her son—it’s safe to say that we have not lost Jane. She lives with us still, in her words and her tales, in her songs and in the army of children and adults alike who were ensnared by her magic. We love you, Jane, and we will never forget you.
