I am a lifelong fan of Jane Yolen. Her books, the How Do Dinosaurs… ? series are some of my favorite children's books as well as my kids. I was so excited to discover this book and thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing us to enjoy this story. This story was written by Jane's own daughter and gives us a peek
into the start of her becoming a writer. Jane helps her class rewrite a play that was boring into a hit musical. It was so fun to see her discovering her amazing talent
as a writer. If you are a fan of Jane Yolen you will adore this book. A wonderful!
story for aspiring authors in your life. I love the inspiration it gives to little ones who have the desire to be a writer in whatever way.

It's always a good time for a children's book.

As an inveterate reader I have as a resolution this year to vary my readings, but as someone who lives in blocks the best option are picture books, so this book has been beautiful, and once and for all I find an option to share with the little ones in the family.

It's been so cute and I've had such a good time, that I already want to read more from the author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC.

JANIE WRITES A PLAY, written by Jane Yolen’s daughter, Heidi Stemple, offers an inspiring glimpse into the moments that led to one of the most prolific writers of our time. The story begins with Janie landing a lead role in her school play, only to be disappointed by its lackluster script. Surrounded by a world filled with stories, Janie thinks of a way to jazz up the play and transforms it into something exciting and entertaining. With the support of her encouraging teacher, Mrs. Jiler (who deserves many thanks for nurturing Janie’s creative endeavors!), the revamped play is a resounding success - marking the beginning of a lifelong journey as an author.

Wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated, this biography is both charming and inspiring. As a fan of Jane Yolen’s work, I found this book to be a delightful read, perfect for sparking creativity in young readers. The back matter includes an author’s note revealing Easter eggs to Jane Yolen’s published works throughout the book. Perfect for any classroom or home library, this book celebrates imagination, perseverance, and the power of storytelling and following your passion. Thank you Charlesbridge for the ARC for review.

I received a copy of this eBook from NetGalley for a honest review.

I love this story of Jane Yolan's first play written when she was a kid for her class to preform. Thank goodness for a teacher who supported Janie! A wonderful story.

A fascinating origin story! Young readers who like Yolen's work or who are curious about becoming an author someday will enjoy this book.

An adorably illustrated and wonderful telling of Jane Yolen and how she first became an author. Little Janie’s imagination is endless, and she sees stories everywhere! When the school play comes around, she can hardly wait — that is, until she realizes that the play is unfortunately a bore.

But Janie finds a way to do what she does best, making a new play that’s a roaring success.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Written by Jane Yolen's daughter about the author's life, this was a lovely tribute. It was interesting to learn what she was like as a child, and how she used her writing skills and imagination even as a child. I would recommend this for Writer's Workshop in elementary school. The story is inspiring and fun, with tidbits about Jane Yolen's books and beautiful illustrations. Some things I would love to do in the classroom include: an author study, a look at various illustrators the author has partnered with and how the illustrations affect Yolen's writing, a class newspaper, and a class play.

I highly recommend this book for schools and libraries.

This charming picture book biography is about the renowned author Jane Yolen. When she was a little girl, she loved stories, and she was all excited to be in a school play, but the play was so dull that she ended up writing an alternative and showing it to her teacher. The school performed her work, and this book celebrates what a milestone moment this was for her childhood and future career.

This book is written by Yolen's daughter, and the author's note at the end includes additional details about her mother's childhood and career, along with some cute photographs. Fans of Yolen will also enjoy seeing her titles on the books illustrated on the endpapers, and will notice some of her future characters and stories reflected in imagination-driven scenes in the book.

I really enjoyed the story and the illustrations, and my only critique is that I would have liked to know more about the play itself. The book highlights the experience she had writing and performing it, but I wanted to know more about the story that she wrote.

This book will appeal to fans of Jane Yolen, and to people who enjoy reading true stories about young writers. This will especially appeal to kids who are interested in writing, and it can be great for a classroom read-aloud.

In this delightful story about author Jane Yolen, young Jane has a wonderful imagination and a need to write. She and her brother write and distribute a newspaper centered around their building, and young Jane is always making notes of ideas for future stories. When faced with a less than exciting class play, Jane takes the initiative and writes a new play. With the support of her teacher, Jane's play is rehearsed and presented with much success.

The illustrations by Madelyn Goodnight give life to this well-written story that celebrates the imagination and creativity of a talented author.

Thanks to Charlesbridge, Heidi E. Y. Stemple and NetGalley for this ARC.

Janie Writes a Play is a bright, delightful young reader's biography about author Jane Yolen. This book makes the reader fall in love with the magic of storytelling and inspires all to chase after their dreams. The text is accompanied by beautiful illustrations to capture the imagination of young Jane and to entertain readers to the fullest.

Beautifully illustrated, charmingly written, and inspiring -- little Janie is disappointed that the class play isn't great, so she writes her own version. Happily, her teacher is supportive and the play is a hit.
I'm an older adult who's been reading Jane Yolen for decades, and I recommend her books to everyone. She really does have a great imagination, and she's written such a variety of stories! Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I requested this for you daughter. We like tonread before bed time. This was such a cute book. She's falling in love with reading just like me and this book was great for that.
This boom shows how Janie speaks up and uses her imagination and writes her own play. This gives confidence and inspires little children ti be more creative.

I recommend this book on three shelves in my True Story Bookshop:
📕 True Stories~Women’s History
📕 True Stories~Book People
📕 True Stories~Stage and Screen
https://bookshop.org/shop/KarlinGray

Love it! Engaging picture book biography of Jane Yolen focusing on her life long love of writing and the first play she wrote and performed at her school. A winner. We will be purchasing copies.

Follow Janie as she goes about her day imagining stories, and rewrites her class play. A good title that speaks to creative writing and creativity, and fostering individuality.

This is a fantastic biography book that celebrates the beginning of Jane Yolen's career as a writer, written by her own daughter Heidy Y. Stemple. This book is a celebration of creativity and writing skills. I like that the teacher Mrs. Jiler was very supportive of the young girls with talents.The illustrations are colorful with a lot of kids and events from the past in the home of Jane or in the school. I really enjoyed reading this book from the NetGalley about the beginning of writing od Jane Yolen!

See my full review at https://michelleardillo.com/2024/09/03/book-review-janie-writes-a-play-by-heidi-e-y-stemple-and-illustrated-by-madelyn-goodnight/.

Beautifully illustrated! A fun book to introduce biographies to students. well-written story that motivates children to pursue what makes them tick!

A lovely, beautifully illustrated story about children's book author Jane Yolen, penned by her daughter. Will inspire readers 5-8 and anyone who wants to write.

Janie Writes a Play
Jane Yolen's First Great Story
by Heidi E. Y. Stemple
Pub DateFeb 11 2025
Charlesbridge
Biographies & Memoirs| Children's Nonfiction



Charlesbridge and Netgalley sent me a copy of Janie Writes a Play for review:


This is a true story about the beginning of the storied career of children's book author Jane Yolen, written by her own daughter.


Janie Yolen enjoys reading, writing, dancing, and singing. So Janie is thrilled when her teacher announces her elementary class will perform a play. There is only one problem with the play. It's boring. With the support of her teacher and classmates, Janie rewrites the play, resulting in a hit class musical.


I give Janie Writes A Play five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!