"Reading will always be a part of our lives.”
Jeanette Larson grew up in a large family with six kids. Her fathers as an Army offices, so they traveled a lot. Living in New Jersey, Georgia, Kansas, New Mexico, California, Germany, and Japan inspired an interest in different cultures and countries in Jeanette. She went on to study anthropology when she went to college.
After college, Jeanette wanted to become a reference librarian, but jobs in her chosen field were scarce. However, she applied for a job in the children’s department at the Irving (California) Public Library and never turned back. During those years she worked as a front line librarian and never even considered writing a book, although she did write books for librarians.
Jeanette met her Hummingbirds: Fact and Folklore from the Americas co-author, Adrienne Yorinks, while she was touring for a book and over the years they often talked about doing something together. She assisted on Quilt of States and they wanted to find a project that was truly “theirs.”
While vacationing in Rockport, Texas, Jeanette walked out of her hotel and was surrounded by hummingbirds. It was “hummer weekend” and the birds were migrating. Stories about hummingbirds that Jeanette had learned when she was studying anthropology came back to her. She and Adrienne decided to put facts and story together to share information about these fascinating creatures.
Jeanette Larson worked as a librarian for thirty-five years and was awarded Librarian of the Year by the Texas Library Association in 1998, the Siddie Joe Johnson Award by the Texas Library Association in 2002, and the Shirley Olofson Memorial Award by the American Library Association. She now teaches children’s and young adult literature at Texas Woman’s University library school.
Jeanette lives with her husband in Rockport, Texas.
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Read a Q & A with Jeanette Larson.