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Jane Kurtz

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url

http://www.goodreads.com/janekurtz

born

Portland, The United States

gender

female

website

http://www.janekurtz.com/

member since

March 2010

About this author

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Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but when she was two years old, her parents moved to Ethiopia. Jane grew up in Maji, a small town in the southwest corner of the country.
Since there were no televisions, radios, or movies, her memories are of climbing mountains, wading in rivers by the waterfalls, listening to stories, and making up her own stories, which she and her sisters acted out for days at a time.

When she was in fourth grade, she went to boarding school in Addis Ababa. Her family left Ethiopia in the late 1970s, but a decade later, first her brother and his family and then her older sister and her family went back to teach in a girls' school in Addis Ababa.

By the time Jane came back to the United States for college, she felt...more Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but when she was two years old, her parents moved to Ethiopia. Jane grew up in Maji, a small town in the southwest corner of the country.
Since there were no televisions, radios, or movies, her memories are of climbing mountains, wading in rivers by the waterfalls, listening to stories, and making up her own stories, which she and her sisters acted out for days at a time.

When she was in fourth grade, she went to boarding school in Addis Ababa. Her family left Ethiopia in the late 1970s, but a decade later, first her brother and his family and then her older sister and her family went back to teach in a girls' school in Addis Ababa.

By the time Jane came back to the United States for college, she felt there was no way to talk about her childhood home to people here. It took nearly twenty years to finally find a way - through her children's books. Now she often speaks in schools and at conferences, sharing memories from her own childhood and bringing in things for the children to touch and taste and see and smell and hear from Ethiopia. "It's been a healing and inspiring experience," she says, "to re-connect with my childhood and also be able to help people know just a little of the beautiful country where I grew up."

E. B. Lewis illustrated her first Ethiopian story, Fire on the Mountain. He used photographs that Jane sent him and photographs which he took of Ethiopian families in his home city of Philadelphia to help him create the illustrations in the book.

When Jane's brother came back from teaching in Ethiopia and told her about the street boys who taught him to raise pigions, she and her brother, Christopher, wrote Only a Pigeon, a book that was published in spring 1997. Earl Lewis and Chris Kurtz traveled to Ethiopia in 1995 so Earl could do the art research for the story.

Floyd Cooper illustrated the second story, Pulling the Lion's Tail, using photographs and his own imagination to make the story of Almaz come to life.

Since the publications of her first books Jane has published a book each year. She has written several more picture books, a novel, and resources for educators. Part of her time is spent visiting in schools. She worked in classrooms with elementary and high school students for over ten years and then for another ten years at the University of North Dakota where most of her students, especially the ones on the UND football team, were bigger than she was...so she is very comfortable working in classrooms.

Jane currently lives in Kansas with her husband, Leonard Goering, and where both of them enjoy visits from their children. Together they have traveled to Ethiopia, the site of one of the literacy projects Jane supports.(less)

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Books by Jane Kurtz

Average rating: 3.70 · 673 ratings · 148 reviews · 32 distinct works

	Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot by Jane Kurtz (Goodreads Author), Jean-Paul Tibbles (Illustrator) 3.46 avg rating — 170 ratings — 4 editions	My rating:
	Lanie (American Girl of the Year 2010, #1) by Jane Kurtz (Goodreads Author), Tamara England (Editor), Jennifer Hirsch (Editor) 4.08 avg rating — 137 ratings — published 2010 — 2 editions	My rating:
	The Storyteller's Beads by Jane Kurtz (Goodreads Author), Liz Van Doren (Editor), Michael Bryant (Illustrator) 3.69 avg rating — 71 ratings — published 1998 — 4 editions	My rating:
	Lanie's Real Adventures (American Girl of the Year 2010, #2) by Jane Kurtz (Goodreads Author), Tamara England (Editor), Jennifer Hirsch (Editor) 4.09 avg rating — 70 ratings — published 2010 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Do Kangaroos Wear Seatbelts? by Jane Kurtz (Goodreads Author), Jane Manning (Illustrations) 3.71 avg rating — 31 ratings — 2 editions	My rating:
	Faraway Home 3.72 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2000	My rating:
	Fire on the Mountain by Jane Kurtz (Goodreads Author), E.B. Lewis (Illustrator) 3.59 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 1994 — 5 editions	My rating:
	Rain Romp: Stomping Away a Grouchy Day by Jane Kurtz (Goodreads Author), Dyanna Wolcott (Illustrations) 3.67 avg rating — 15 ratings — 2 editions	My rating:
	The Feverbird's Claw 3.12 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2004 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Water Hole Waiting by Jane Kurtz (Goodreads Author), Christopher Kurtz, Jane Kurtz, & Christopher 3.80 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2002 — 2 editions	My rating:

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Jane Kurtz is now friends with Deborah Hopkinson
Mar 08, 2010 02:06pm

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Quotes by Jane Kurtz

“If only there were a river of courage, - Rahel whispered. I would bend down, cup the water in my hand and drink.”
― Jane Kurtz, The Storyteller's Beads

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Around the World ...: Jane - Frequent Flyer Leaving from France	41	57	Apr 10, 2012 02:42am
Around the World ...: Ethiopia	5	35	May 17, 2012 04:39pm
The Hive 2012: Jane in France hive challenge 2012	49	23	May 23, 2012 12:49am

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Jane's Bookshelves

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Jane's Fans (9)

Jane Kurtz

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combine editionsBooks by Jane Kurtz

Upcoming Events

rssJane's Recent Updates

Quotes by Jane Kurtz

Topics Mentioning This Author

Jane's Friend Comments

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combine editions
Books by Jane Kurtz

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Jane's Recent Updates