The Summer of the Falcon (17 page)

Jean Craighead George (bottom left) in Ontario, Canada, in 1923 with her twin brothers, John and Frank Craighead; mother, Carolyn; and next door playmate. Jean’s brothers were a great source of inspiration, and worked as photographers, naturalists,
National Geographic
writers, champion wrestlers, and, finally, grizzly bear biologists. Jean also attributes her love and appreciation of natural history to her teacher and father, Dr. F. C. Craighead, a forest entomologist and zoologist.

Jean Craighead George (far right) in the wilderness of Seneca, Maryland, with cousin Ellen Zirpel, brother Frank, Spike the dog, friend Morgan Berthrong, and Trigger the dog, in 1936. They spent just about every school weekend together along the Potomac River, learning about vegetation and wildlife.

Jean Craighead George with her then-husband, Dr. John L. George, in 1958. The couple lived in a twelve-by-twelve Army tent for four years while John got his PhD and Jean wrote books and illustrated filmstrips.

Jean Craighead George and Yammer, a screech owl, in 1964. Yammer lived with Jean and her family and made his home in the breaks between books in their bookcase. (Photo courtesy of Harper Portraits.)

Jean Craighead George in Chappaqua, New York, in 1964, with her pets Tonka, a Newfoundland dog, and Tricket, a Manx cat. Jean learned many things from her domestic pets, including animal language, social structure, and personalities. (Photo courtesy of Ellan Young.)

Jean Craighead George circa 1970, catching Monarch butterflies to band and release. These bands were used to track the butterflies’ migratory destination, which was still unknown at the time. (Photo courtesy of Ellan Young.)

Jean Craighead George and a young peregrine falcon named King David in the Catskill Mountains in 1985. Jean was gathering a falcon’s perspective for her book
Frightful’s Mountain
, a sequel to
My Side of the Mountain
.

Jean Craighead George and her Alaskan Malamute, Qimmiq, which means “dog” in Inupiat (an Eskimo language), during the 1990s. (Photo courtesy of Ellan Young.)

Jean Craighead George in the Lower Colville River, in Alaska, in 1995. Jean first traveled to Alaska in 1970, when she did research for her Newbery Award–winning novel
Julie of the Wolves.

Jean Craighead George’s home in Chappaqua, New York, in 1995. Jean has lived in Chappaqua for over fifty years.

Jean Craighead George in the Wyoming wilderness in 1999. Wherever Jean goes, she sketches and paints to record incidents and “feel” the details of a place.

Jean Craighead George and her family along the Yellow Breeches Creek in Craighead, Pennsylvania, in 1999. As a child, Jean spent her summers at Craighead Station with her father’s family. They fished, canoed, painted, made wildflower collections, swam, and played baseball.