Jean Van Leeuwen is an American author who began her career in journalism and publishing. She was born in 1937 and grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey. As a child, Van Leeuwen was a self-declared bookworm and delighted in stories that mirrored her interests, particularly in dogs, horses (she loved Black Beauty by Anna Sewell), and mysteries. She tried her hand at writing her own novel when she was 11 years old but quickly gave up on the project. Years later, Van Leeuwen studied journalism at Syracuse University in New York State. Because few women worked as reporters at the time, Van Leeuwen found a job at a publishing company after graduating from Syracuse. While working in publishing, she read and edited countless children’s manuscripts. This work inspired her to start writing children’s books of her own. Her relationships and experiences with her own children also fueled her early writing projects. Van Leeuwen has since gone on to publish 17 picture books, 20 children’s books, 18 middle grade novels, one young adult novel, and an autobiography. She is particularly well known for her stories about Oliver and Amanda Pig, and her wide array of historical fiction.