Remembering Jane Yolen

My Personal Tribute

Prolific and beloved author Jane Yolen passed away on June 11, 2026. Jane and I were close friends, and I’d like to honor her by sharing a few highlights of our relationship over the last 40+ years.

I moved back to Massachusetts in the early 1980’s and discovered a writing group that met at the Hatfield public library, and met Jane, who lived in Hatfield and ran the group. We became friends. I was not brave enough to share my writing at the meetings, but occasionally showed some of my illustrations, and began to learn more about writing through hearing Jane critique others.

When I was offered to illustrate The Secret Garden in 1985, I asked Jane if she’d be willing to model for the character of Mrs. Sowerby. She was delighted to pose for me. When I was offered Sleeping Beauty next, because I was still not confident in my writing skills, I asked Jane to retell the tale. This was our first collaboration. I wanted to paint Jane’s image in the book, and she was willing to ham it up and model for the sleeping cook! But perhaps the most fun I had using Jane as a model was for my book Mother Goose and Friends. To me, Jane is and always will be a modern-day Mother Goose.

Jane also encouraged me to start an illustrator’s group, along with artists Tom Leamon and Bob Marstall. She attended many of our meetings, writing books for several of the members whose work she particularly liked, helping launch their illustration careers. The Western Mass Illustrator’s Guild (WMIG) is still meeting after 40+ years, and I’ve made lifelong friends there.

After Sleeping Beauty came out, Jane introduced me to her editor at Little, Brown in Boston, who loved my art and encouraged me to both retell and illustrate a line of fairy tales. Without Jane, this might never have happened—she helped me fulfill my dream. Over the years I illustrated three more of Jane’s books: Where Have the Unicorns Gone, Hush Little Horsie, and most recently Arch of Bone, a brilliant continuation of Moby Dick for a middle grade audience. Jane also wrote a wonderful afterward for my illustrated edition of The Golden Key by George MacDonald.

Reading Jane’s book Touch Magic had a profound influence on my development as a writer. “Folklore... is the perfect guidebook to the human psyche; it leads us to the understanding of the deepest longings and the most daring visions of human-kind.”

Jane spoke at schools, conferences, and taught writing workshops, always willing to share her wisdom with developing writers. A few years ago, she invited me to join her personal writing group, and along with the other members, helped me shape my first YA fairy tale retelling into something I’m proud of. When I asked if she’d write me a blurb, she hand wrote one on the manuscript pages I was sharing that day in the group. It brought tears to my eyes.

Thank you Jane— you’ve been a big part of my life and will always be a part of my heart.

--Ruth Sanderson June 12, 2026