Born: April 1, 1931
Died: January 29, 2019
Ohio connection: Birth
Columbus
Jan Boyer Wahl, son of Russell Rothenberger and Nina Marie (Boyer) Wahl, was born in 1931 in Columbus, Ohio. He began writing while living with his grandparents in northwest Ohio during the Depression. His first effort was an attempt to rewrite “Jack and the Beanstalk,” which he felt could be improved. He also loved art as he was growing up, and the love of the visual had a clear effect on his later efforts as a writer/illustrator. His love for the movies was also a factor in his writing, as he once stated: “In a way, I was writing the films I wished I could see. A picture book is related to an animated cartoon.” Wahl received a B.A. degree from Cornell University in 1953 and was a graduate student at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, 1954-55, where he worked with film director Carl Theodore Dreyer during the making of the prize-winning film Ordet. Wahl received an M.A. from the University of Michigan in 1958. He returned to Denmark to work as a secretary to writer Isak Dinesen and also served as a correspondent from Copenhagen for Dance magazine. He worked with illustrators Garth Williams in Mexico, and Erik Blegvad in England, 1966-67.
Wahl was a creative and prolific author, having published more than a hundred books for children. His books contain illustrations by renowned artist/illustrators. Pleasant Fieldmouse, his first book, was published in 1964 and was illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Edward Gorey’s drawings helped tell the story in Cobweb Castle (1968). Wahl’s own stories in The Norman Rockwell Storybook (1969) were based on illustrations by Norman Rockwell. Other popular titles include The Woman with the Eggs (1974), The Teeny, Tiny Witches (1979), Rabbits on Roller Skates! (1986), The Toy Circus; Tailypo! (1986), My Cat Ginger (1990), Little Eight John (1992), I Met a Dinosaur (1997), and The Field Mouse and the Dinosaur Name Sue (2000). Wahl also wrote a book of children’s verse The Beast Book (1964), a book for young adults titled Youth’s Magic Horn: Seven Stories (1978), and a play titled Paradiso! Paradiso!, first produced in 1954 at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY). In 2012, Wahl published a memoir titled Carl Theodor Dreyer and Ordet: My Summer with the Danish Filmmaker.
Jan Wahl worked and lived in Toledo, Ohio until his death on January 29, 2019.
Awards:
Fulbright scholar in Copenhagen, 1953-54; Avery Hopwood Award in fiction, University of Michigan, 1955, for a group of short stories collectively entitled “Seven Old Maids” (the stories appeared in various magazines); Young Critics’ award at International Children’s Book Fair, Bologna, Italy, 1969, for Pocahontas in London; Ohioana Book Award winner, 1970, for The Norman Rockwell Storybook; American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book citation, 1974, for The Woman with the Eggs; Bowling Green State University, Ohio, declared May 1, 1980, as “Jan Wahl Day”; Parents’ Choice literary award, 1982, for Tiger Watch; Redbook award, 1987, for Humphrey’s Bear. Honor: An honorary doctorate in Arts & Letters, Bowling Green State University, 1996.
Books
Additional Resources
Wikipedia: Jan Wahl