Jeanne Birdsall

Jeanne Birdsall
Jeanne Birdsall in 2009
Born	1951 (age 65–66) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Occupation	Novelist, photographer
Language	English
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Boston University California College of Arts and Crafts
Period	2005–present
Genre	Children's literature, adventure novels
Notable works	The Penderwicks
Notable awards	National Book Award 2005
Children	2 stepchildren
Website
jeannebirdsall.com

Jeanne Birdsall (born 1951) is an American writer of children's books. She is known mainly for the "Penderwick sisters", whose third chronicle was published in 2011. The first, which was her debut novel, won the 2005 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

Birdsall was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in the suburbs. She decided to become a writer at the age of ten — but she didn't start until she was 41. She worked first on other jobs, most notably as a photographer, and some of her work has been displayed in galleries around the world. She has kept several pets, including dogs, cats, rabbits, and a snail.

As of 2005, Birdsall lives in a house that is "old and comfortable, full of unruly animals, and surrounded by gardens" in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Birdsall's first book was published when she was 44. The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy introduced the Penderwick sisters and won the National Book Award. Her second book was a sequel, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street (2008). Her third book, the Penderwicks at Point Mouette, is her third book in the series. The fourth is The Penderwicks in Spring (2015). She plans a series of five.

Birdsall's first picture book, Flora's Very Windy Day, was illustrated by Matt Phelan and published under the Clarion Books imprint in August 2010. The third Penderwicks novel, The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, was released by Knopf on May 10, 2011.