Jean Merrill
Encyclopedia
Jean Merrill is an American author of children's books and editor, best known for The Pushcart War
, originally published in 1964. Merrill currently lives in Vermont.
, to Earl and Elsie Almetta Merrill. She grew up on the shores of Lake Ontario
in Webster, New York
(now a suburb of Rochester).
Merrill received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Theatre in 1944 from Allegheny College
in Meadville, Pennsylvania
and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society
. She received her master's degree from Wellesley College in 1945.
at the University of Madras
in India. Her folklore studies in India would lead her to write a number of stories based on Asian folklore: Shan's Lucky Knife (1960, based on a Burmese folktale), The Superlative Horse (1961, based on a Chinese folktale), and The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars (1992, based on a Japanese folktale). From 1965 to 1971, Merrill worked as an editor and consultant at the Publications Division of the Bank Street College of Education.
in 1963 for The Superlative Horse.
In 1964, Merrill published her best-known work, The Pushcart War
, for which she won her second Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, in 1965. Set in New York, the book was written in the style of a historical report from the future, looking back at earlier events from a class warfare struggle between trucking companies and pushcart owners. Alberta Eiseman of The New York Times
wrote "...it's rare to find a book for young people with both a point of view and a sense of the ridiculous." The book has been reissued a number of times, with the dates adjusted to keep it set in the future. In 2006, a musical adaptation was presented by Edric Haleen in Holt, Michigan
.
Merrill published The Black Sheep in 1969. In The New York Times Book Review
, Natalie Babbitt
wrote that "...her fable is a satisfying sandwich in which the peanut butter, sticky and nourishing, slides down with ease due to judicious use of jelly." This was followed in 1972 by The Toothpaste Millionaire. Set in Cleveland, the story relates how a Caucasian sixth-grader girl who just moved into town becomes friends with her neighbor and classmate, an intelligent African-American boy entrepreneur, and becomes rich by selling their home-made toothpaste. In 1974, an ABC afternoon special was based on The Toothpaste Millionaire. The Toothpaste Millionaire has been used in the classroom to integrate lessons from a number of different subject areas: entrepreneurship, marketing, manufacturing of toothpaste, and the social issues associated with race in the story's setting.
In 1992, Merrill published The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars, based on a 12th century Japanese tale. True to the original manuscript, whose ending had been lost, the story ends abruptly.
Books had a great impact on Merrill as a child, which motivated her to try to write children's stories that would have a similar effect. Her books often illustrate universal human values serving to resolve conflict.
The Pushcart War
The Pushcart War is a popular children's book written by Jean Merrill and illustrated by Ronni Solbert. It was published in 1964 and concerns a war between pushcart peddlers and delivery trucks in New York City....
, originally published in 1964. Merrill currently lives in Vermont.
Early life
Merrill was born on 27 January 1923, in Rochester, New YorkRochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, to Earl and Elsie Almetta Merrill. She grew up on the shores of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
in Webster, New York
Webster (town), New York
Webster is a town in the northeast corner of Monroe County, New York, United States. The town is named after orator and statesman Daniel Webster. The population was 42,641 at the 2010 census....
(now a suburb of Rochester).
Merrill received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Theatre in 1944 from Allegheny College
Allegheny College
Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. Founded in 1815, the college has about 2,100 undergraduate students.-Early history:...
in Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is generally considered part of the Pittsburgh Tri-State and is within 40 miles of Erie, Pennsylvania. It was the first permanent settlement in northwest Pennsylvania...
and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society
Phi Beta Kappa Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...
. She received her master's degree from Wellesley College in 1945.
Editor
After leaving Wellesley, Merrill was an editor for Scholastic Magazines from 1945 to 1949. She subsequently edited at Literary Cavalcade from 1950 to 1957. Starting in 1952, Merrill held a Fulbright FellowshipFulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
at the University of Madras
University of Madras
The University of Madras is a public research university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the three oldest universities in India...
in India. Her folklore studies in India would lead her to write a number of stories based on Asian folklore: Shan's Lucky Knife (1960, based on a Burmese folktale), The Superlative Horse (1961, based on a Chinese folktale), and The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars (1992, based on a Japanese folktale). From 1965 to 1971, Merrill worked as an editor and consultant at the Publications Division of the Bank Street College of Education.
Writer
Merrill started writing books while working at Literary Cavalcade, including Henry, The Hand-Painted Mouse (1951) and The Woover (1952). Merrill received the Lewis Carroll Shelf AwardLewis Carroll Shelf Award
The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was started in 1958 by Dr. David C. Davis with the assistance of Prof. Lola Pierstorff, Director Instructional Materials Center, Univ. of Wisconsin and Madeline Allen Davis, WHA Wisconsin Public Radio. Awards were presented annually at the Wisconsin Book Conference...
in 1963 for The Superlative Horse.
In 1964, Merrill published her best-known work, The Pushcart War
The Pushcart War
The Pushcart War is a popular children's book written by Jean Merrill and illustrated by Ronni Solbert. It was published in 1964 and concerns a war between pushcart peddlers and delivery trucks in New York City....
, for which she won her second Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, in 1965. Set in New York, the book was written in the style of a historical report from the future, looking back at earlier events from a class warfare struggle between trucking companies and pushcart owners. Alberta Eiseman of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote "...it's rare to find a book for young people with both a point of view and a sense of the ridiculous." The book has been reissued a number of times, with the dates adjusted to keep it set in the future. In 2006, a musical adaptation was presented by Edric Haleen in Holt, Michigan
Holt, Michigan
Holt is an unincorporated community within Delhi Charter Township, Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place used for statistical purposes. The population was 11,315 at the 2000 census....
.
Merrill published The Black Sheep in 1969. In The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
, Natalie Babbitt
Natalie Babbitt
Natalie Babbitt is an American author and illustrator of children's books. Her novels Tuck Everlasting and The Eyes of the Amaryllis have been made into films . Her novel Knee-Knock Rise is a Newbery Honor book.- Life :Natalie Babbitt was born in Dayton, Ohio. Now lives in Providence, Rhode Island...
wrote that "...her fable is a satisfying sandwich in which the peanut butter, sticky and nourishing, slides down with ease due to judicious use of jelly." This was followed in 1972 by The Toothpaste Millionaire. Set in Cleveland, the story relates how a Caucasian sixth-grader girl who just moved into town becomes friends with her neighbor and classmate, an intelligent African-American boy entrepreneur, and becomes rich by selling their home-made toothpaste. In 1974, an ABC afternoon special was based on The Toothpaste Millionaire. The Toothpaste Millionaire has been used in the classroom to integrate lessons from a number of different subject areas: entrepreneurship, marketing, manufacturing of toothpaste, and the social issues associated with race in the story's setting.
In 1992, Merrill published The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars, based on a 12th century Japanese tale. True to the original manuscript, whose ending had been lost, the story ends abruptly.
Books had a great impact on Merrill as a child, which motivated her to try to write children's stories that would have a similar effect. Her books often illustrate universal human values serving to resolve conflict.