Award-winning author Jane Kurtz spent most of her childhood in East Africa. In Jane Kurtz and YOU, she writes about animal spotting on the savanna, all-day treks on a treacherous road, and periodic visits to the United States where her fellow students asked, Did you see Tarzan? Each chapter contains a section that focuses on writing traits and the writing process, unlocking the mysteries of how authors come up with interesting ideas, hunt for vivid details, use words with sparkle and pizzazz, craft sentences and paragraphs that have pleasing rhythms, organize in clear and compelling ways, find their writing personality, and revise for big and little changes. Grades K-6.

This title features the personal reflections on Kurtz’s books for readers in grades K-6; including insight into her life, her path to becoming a successful children’s author and the back story behind her books. Kurtz provides many suggestions for ways to think about writing- suggestions for connecting her books to common traits of good writers. Award-winning author Jane Kurtz spent most of her childhood in East Africa. In Jane Kurtz and YOU, she writes about animal spotting on the savanna, all-day treks to manage thirty-two miles on a treacherous road, periodic visits to the U.S. where her fellow students asked, Did you see Tarzan? Each chapter contains a section that focuses on writing traits and writing process, unlocking the mysteries of how authors come up with interesting ideas, hunt for vivid details, use words with sparkle and pizzaz, craft sentences and paragraphs that have pleasing rhythms, organize in clear and compelling ways, find their writing personality, and revise for big and little changes. The book’s many photographs offer fascinating glimpses into the experiences that shaped Jane’s picture books and novels for young readers and that nudged her to help start the first free library for children in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. Grades K-6.