More about Jeanne
"Meet Jeanne Walker Harvey" Interview featured in Bold Journey
Ever since she was a child, Jeanne Walker Harvey dreamed of being a children’s book author. She was quite the bookworm as a girl. She loved curling up with her family’s collie and reading, reading, reading. Every week her mom took her to the local library, and Jeanne returned home with a tower of books.
Along the way Jeanne has had many jobs, ranging from working as a roller coaster ride operator to an attorney for high-tech companies to a writer of magazine articles to a teacher of Language Arts and writing workshops at a public middle school.
She studied literature and psychology at Stanford University, and volunteered for many years at the local public school library, the Marin County Literacy Program. Jeanne has been a long-time school group docent at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and served as a Board Trustee for the Sausalito Library and the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art.
Jeanne lives across the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge in Sonoma. She has two terrific grown sons and a sweet gray and white tabby cat she adopted from the Humane Society. Her cat sits on the papers on Jeanne's desk when she writes (or walks across her keyboard when she’s bored).
When not writing, Jeanne can be found enjoying time with family and friends, dancing in Zumba class, hiking, visiting modern art museums, exploring new places and eating chocolate in all forms.
Jeanne is an award-winning children’s book author. She hopes her books will connect children with inspiring stories!
Jeanne is excited to announce the upcoming publication of her newest picture book biography (and yes! about another creative inspiring person!): The Glass Pyramid: A Story of the Louvre Museum and Architect I.M. Pei (Atheneum /Simon & Schuster 2025) tells the story of the renowned architect I. M. Pei and his triumph in redesigning the Louvre through problem-solving and persistence.
Jeanne's other picture book biographies about creative inspiring people include: Else B. in the Sea - The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep (2024); Ablaze with Color - The Story of the Painter Alma Thomas (2022); Dressing Up the Stars - The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head (2022); Maya Lin: Architect of Light and Lines: Designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (2018); and My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden's Childhood Journey (2011).
She's also written a large-format picture book (and board book) about a bunch of boats found on the San Francisco Bay: Boats on the Bay (2018), and two books about rescued marine mammals: Honey Girl: The Hawaiian Monk Seal (2017) and Astro the Steller Sea Lion (2013).
Her amazing agent is Deborah Warren of East West Literary Agency.
Awards / Nominations
Newspaper article featuring Jeanne in The Sonoma Index-Tribune
Jeanne at the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival
Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas
*STARRED* Reviews: Booklist, School Library Journal, Horn Book
-
School Library Journal Best Books of 2022
-
New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2022 – Nonfiction
-
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of 2022 –Informational Books for Younger Readers
-
Jane Addams Children's Book Award 2023 Finalist – Younger Children
-
NAACP Image Award Nomination for Outstanding Literary Work – Childrens
-
California Independent Booksellers Alliance Golden Poppy Finalist –Picture Books
-
2022 Best Nonfiction Books – Nerdy Book Club
-
Charter Oak Children's Book Nonfiction Nominee 2022-2023
-
ARTNews - Best 2023 Children’s Books About Artists
-
CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) Best of the Year 2023 Choices
Else B. in the Sea: The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep
*STARRED* Review: Booklist
-
NSTA 2025 Best STEM K-12 Books
-
American Library Association Booklist’s Top 10 Arts Books for Youth in 2024
Dressing Up the Stars: The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head
*STARRED* Review: Booklist
-
CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) Best of the Year 2023 Choices
-
CBC (Children’s Book Council) Children’s Favorites Awards 2023
Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines
*STARRED* Review: Hornbook
-
An NSTA Best STEM Book of the Year
-
An NCSS Notale Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
-
An NCIBA Book Award Nominee
-
A Junior Library Guild Selection
-
A Washington Post Book that Can Help Build Strong Girls and Boys for Today's World
-
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
-
An Evanston Public Library Best Book of the Year
-
A Texas Topaz List Selection
-
An Amazon Best Book of the Year
Boats on the Bay
-
The Northern California Independent Booksellers Association's (NCIBA) Golden Poppy Award in the Picture Book Category
Honey Girl: The Hawaiian Monk Seal
-
NSTA – CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book 2018
-
Animal Behavior Society Outstanding Children's Book Award – Finalist
My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden's Childhood Journey
-
International Reading Association (IRA) Children's and Young Adult's Book Award Winner – Primary Category
-
New York Public Library's Best Books to Read and Share – Picture Book Category
-
Bank Street List of Best Children's Books of the Year – Biography Category
-
Gelett Burgess Center for Creative Expression Gold Medal for Picture Book Artist Biography
-
Moonbeam Children's Book Award – Tied for Gold for Picture Book All Ages
Astro the Steller Sea Lion
-
Mom's Choice Gold Award