Remembering Jane Yolen: How Do Dinosaurs/Readers/Librarians Say Goodbye/Thank You?

“What makes a good book?
Scholars and critics have been debating that question for decades. I like books that touch my head and my heart at the same time.”
― Jane Yolen

Literary giant Jane Yolen, whose 450 books touched the heads and hearts of many, has died at the age of 87. She wrote across multiple genres, ranging from children’s picture books, science fiction, and fantasy to poetry and historical novels. The Devil’s Arithmetic is perhaps her most widely-read novel, a time travel story where a modern Jewish teenager is transported back to a 1940’s concentration camp. The picture books Owl Moon and The Emperor and the Kite were awarded the Caldecott Medal and Caldecott Honor, respectively, but the “How Do Dinosaurs…?” series is her biggest commercial success as a widely recognized series for young children. Her final, 450th book Terror Birds will be released posthumously on July 14, 2026.

Here are just 25 books from her vast body of work.

“Take a step, breathe in the world, give it out again in story, poem, song, art.”― Jane Yolen.

Thank you, Jane.