# Janice May Udry

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Janice_May_Udry
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Janice_May_Udry.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janice_May_Udry
> Source revision: 1337186842
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

American writer (1928–2023)

This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Janice May Udry" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

**Janice May Udry** (June 14, 1928 – May 12, 2023) was an American author of [children's literature](/source/Children's_literature), primarily of [picture books](/source/Picture_book).

## Life and career

Janice May was born in [Jacksonville, Illinois](/source/Jacksonville%2C_Illinois) on June 14, 1928. She graduated from [Northwestern University](/source/Northwestern_University) in 1950. Her first widely-published book, *[A Tree is Nice](/source/A_Tree_is_Nice)*, was awarded the [Caldecott Medal](/source/Caldecott_Medal) in 1957 for [Marc Simont](/source/Marc_Simont)'s illustrations.[1] She was a member of the [American Association of University Women](/source/American_Association_of_University_Women) and her papers are held at the [University of Southern Mississippi](/source/University_of_Southern_Mississippi).[2]

In 1950, she married Richard Udry.[3][4] They have two children, Leslie and Susan.[5] Richard died in 2012, at the age of 83.[6] Janice May Udry died on May 12, 2023, at the age of 94.[7]

## Bibliography

- *Little Bear and the Beautiful Kite* (1955), illus. [Hertha Depper](https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/3036032.Hertha_Depper),[8] [Albert Whitman](https://www.ipgbook.com/albert-whitman---company-publisher-AWH.php)

- *[A Tree Is Nice](/source/A_Tree_Is_Nice)* (1956), illus.[8] [Marc Simont](/source/Marc_Simont), [Harper](/source/Harper_(publisher)) – Winner of the Caldecott Medal

- *Theodore's Parents* (1958), illus. Adrienne Adams, [Lothrop](/source/Daniel_Lothrop)

- *[The Moon Jumpers](/source/The_Moon_Jumpers)* (1959), illus. [Maurice Sendak](/source/Maurice_Sendak), Harper - Caldecott Honor

- *Danny's Pig* (1960), illus. Mariana [sic], Lothrop

- *Alfred* (1960), illus. Judith S. Roth, Albert Whitman

- *[Let's Be Enemies](https://books.google.com/books/about/Let_s_Be_Enemies.html?id=Q0L5ea6ucC4C&source=kp_book_description)* (1961), illus. Maurice Sendak, Harper

- *Is Susan Here?* (1962), illus. Peter Edwards, [Abelard](https://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/Watch/fob_search_results_next.cfm?FOBFirmName=A&locSTARTROW=11), re-illus. 1993 by Karen Gundersheimer

- *The Mean Mouse and Other Mean Stories* (1962), illus. [Ed Young](/source/Ed_Young_(illustrator)), Harper

- *End of the Line* (1962), illus. Hope Taylor, Albert Whitman

- *Betsy-Back-in-Bed* (1963), illus. Hope Taylor, Albert Whitman

- *Next Door to Laura Linda* (1965), illus. Meg Wohlberg, Albert Whitman

- *[What Mary Jo Shared](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/422825)* (1966), illus. [Elizabeth Sayles](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/96647/elizabeth-sayles/), Albert Whitman

- *If You're a Bear* (1967), illus. Erica Merkling, Albert Whitman

- *Mary Ann's Mud Day* (1967), illus. Martha Alexander, Harper

- *[What Mary Jo Wanted](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/422827.What_Mary_Jo_Wanted)* (1968), illus. Eleanor Mill, Albert Whitman

- *Glenda* (1969), illus. Marc Simont, Harper

- *[The Sunflower Garden](https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Sunflower_Garden.html?id=f8UWAQAAMAAJ)* (1969), illus. [Beatrice Darwin](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1141710.Beatrice_Darwin), Harvey House

- *Emily's Autumn* (1969), illus. [Erik Blegvad](/source/Erik_Blegvad), Albert Whitman

- *[Mary Jo's Grandmother](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4472945)* (1970), illus. Eleanor Mill, Albert Whitman

- *[Angie](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35648612-angie)* (1971), illus. Hilary Knight, Harper

- *[How I Faded Away](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL446535W/How_I_faded_away)* (1975), illus. [Monica De Bruyn](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1279007.Monica_De_Bruyn), Albert Whitman

- *Oh No, Cat!* (1976), illus. [Mary Chalmers](/source/Mary_Chalmers), [Coward](https://www.biblio.com/publisher/coward-mccann)

- *[Thump and Plunk](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/3889197)* (1981), illus. Ann Schweninger, published with new illustrations by [Geoffrey Hayes](/source/Geoffrey_Hayes_(artist))[8] (2000), Harper

- *[Glenda Glinka, Witch-at-Large](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3225919-glenda-glinka)* (1997), illus. Marc Simont, [HarperTrophy](https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/publisher.cgi?71)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Kingman, Lee, ed. (1965). *Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books: 1956-1965: With Acceptance Papers, Biographies & Related Materials Chiefly from the Horn Book Magazine*. Boston, MA: Horn Book. p. 182. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0876750025](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0876750025).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Janice May Udry papers at the University of Southern Mississippi"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100610205515/http://www.lib.usm.edu/~degrum/html/research/findaids/udry.htm). Archived from [the original](http://www.lib.usm.edu/~degrum/html/research/findaids/udry.htm) on 10 June 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "Younger Udrys Make News". *The Kentucky Post*. 3 April 1958.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** "J. Richard Udry". *The News and Observer*. 19 August 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Udry, Janice May 1928- | Encyclopedia.com"](https://www.encyclopedia.com/children/scholarly-magazines/udry-janice-may-1928). *www.encyclopedia.com*. Retrieved 2024-07-13.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["J. Udry Obituary (2012) - Chapel Hill, NC - The News & Observer"](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/newsobserver/name/j-udry-obituary?id=12497204). *Legacy.com*. Retrieved 2024-07-13.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Newsletter, 2023"](https://charleshouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2023.CHA_.Newsletter.pdf) (PDF). *Charles House Association*. p. 7. Retrieved 7 February 2026.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_8-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_8-2) ["Books by Janice May Udry (Author of A Tree Is Nice)"](https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/26909.Janice_May_Udry). *www.goodreads.com*. Retrieved 2023-06-10.

## External links

- [Janice May Udry – HarperCollins](https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/janice-may-udry)

- [Children's literature portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Children%27s_literature)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND WorldCat National United States France BnF data Japan Czech Republic Spain Netherlands Latvia Israel Academics CiNii People Trove Other IdRef Open Library Yale LUX

This article about a children's author from the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

- [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:US-child-writer-stub)
- [t](/source/Template_talk%3AUS-child-writer-stub)
- [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:US-child-writer-stub)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Janice May Udry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janice_May_Udry) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janice_May_Udry?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.