Jeanette Winter

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Jeanette Winter (1939–2025) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. She is best known for books about women in history, activists, athletes, and artists.

Early life
Winter was born on October 6, 1939, in Chicago to Swedish immigrant parents. She grew up in Chicago and developed an interest in art from a young age. In 1960 she married artist Roger Winter, and the couple moved to New York City, where she worked at the New York Public Library. They later moved to Texas, where she had two sons and taught herself to illustrate.

Career
Winter developed a simple, clean painting style with flat areas of color. She became a prolific author and illustrator, creating many beloved children's books about notable women and important historical figures. Her work has been translated into many languages, helping inspire children around the world. She also illustrated several books written by her son, Jonah Winter.

Personal life and death
Winter’s children are Jonah Winter, a children’s author and poet, and Max Winter, a poet and film critic. She lived and worked in New York City. Winter died in New York City on November 7, 2025, at the age of 86, from heart and kidney failure.

Awards
- 1991: New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book Award for Diego (written by her son Jonah Winter)
- 2006: Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor for Mama
- 2010: Jane Addams Children’s Book Award (Books for Younger Children) for Nasreen’s Secret School
- 2018: Orbis Pictus Honor for The World Is Not a Rectangle

Selected works

As author and illustrator
- The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq (2005)
- Mama: A True Story (2006)
- Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan (2009)
- Biblioburro: A True Story from Colombia (2010)
- Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan / Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan (2014)
- Nanuk the Ice Bear (2016)
- The World Is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid (2017)
- Our House Is on Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet (2019)
- Sisters: Venus & Serena Williams (2019)
- Sister Corita's Words and Shapes (2021)

As illustrator
- Diego (1991)
- The Secret Project (2017)
- Oil (2020)
- The Little Owl & the Big Tree: A Christmas Story (2021)
- The Snow Man (2023)