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Why do I write so much about history? Sometimes I think it is because I spent my childhood in China, hearing about America from my parents
and having to wait until I was thirteen to get here. So I felt a need to make up for lost time. I determined to get to know all I could about America, past and present.
Sometimes I think it is because I like stories, and of course history is packed jam-full of stories. Every person has his or her own
stories, and I like to find out about them. It's a little like eavesdropping and I'm pretty good at that!
Sometimes I think it's because I enjoy research so much.
For every book I write, I have to read a great deal and usually travel to the place where that person lived. It's like being a detective. I want to find the truth, so I never make up anything in these books, not even conversation. If you see quotation marks, you can be sure I have a source for them.
The research often turns up surprises.
(Who would think that young Patrick Henry was remembered for wearing clean underwear?) And it often leads to adventures. When I wrote about King George III, I went to London where there was an exhibit of his personal belongings, including his clocks of which he was so proud.
One of my favorite characters is Lafayette, and although I couldn't go to France, I was invited to a birthday party for him in Fayetteville,
North Carolina, the first town named for him in America. Everyone sang the French national anthem. Then they sang the American national anthem. And if Lafayette wasn't right there, I certainly
felt he was close.
My next book will be called Leonardo's Horse. Leonardo da Vinci was a famous artist living in Italy at the time of Columbus. He was
asked to make a 24-foot horse—three times the size of a normal horse—but before he had finished, the French army attacked and destroyed it.
Leonardo was so disappointed that it was said he wept about it on his deathbed. Recently a man (a pilot for United Airlines) read that story and was so moved by it that he decided that after all this time he wanted to give Leonardo his horse. His name was Charles Dent, and like Leonardo he not only dreamed, he tried to make his dreams come true. So he, his family, and friends raised 6 million dollars to make a 24 foot bronze horse. They gave it as a gift from the American people to the Italian people. I went to Italy for the celebration. It was one of my most exciting adventures.
I get letters from readers sometimes who say they like the way I add "fun" to history. I don't add anything.
It's all true, because past times were just as filled with exciting events and "fun" stories as are present times. I want American children to feel comfortable with their past.
After writing so many biographies, it is not surprising that eventually I would want to tell my own story. I often become homesick for
China, so it was a joy to go back in memory and relive my childhood, rediscovering the scary parts, the sad parts, the happy parts, the lonely parts, and especially rediscovering the places.
That book is called Homesick. •
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About the Author:
Jean Fritz now lives in Dobbs Ferry, New York, on the Hudson River. Her two children, David and Andrea, are grown
now and married and live about an hour from her. David has two sons, Dan and Mike, and Andrea has five cats. Jean loves to travel, especially to islands and beaches, and she reads a lot.
Recent Books
Her last five books are Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Beecher Preachers; You Want to Vote, Lizzie Stanton?; Just a
Few Words, Mr. Lincoln; and Why Not, Lafayette? Jean is currently working on Leonardo's Horse, due out in about a year.
Why Not, Lafayette?
Written by Jean Fritz
Illustrated by Ronald Himler
Published by G. P. Putnam's Sons
Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt!
Written by Jean Fritz
Illustrated by Mike Wimmer
Published by G. P. Putnam's Sons
China Homecoming
By Jean Fritz
Published by G. P. Putnam's Sons
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