Jean Reidy

Short and Sweet Bio

Jean Reidy’s bestselling and award-winning picture books have earned their spots as favorites among readers and listeners of all ages and from all over the world.  She is honored to be a three-time winner of the Colorado Book Award, a Parent’s Choice Gold Award Winner, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor winner and recognized on “Best of” lists by School Library Journal, the New York Times, NPR and Amazon. Jean writes from her home in Chicago where she lives just a short walk from her neighborhood library … which she visits nearly every day.

Longer Bio

Jean Reidy’s best-selling and award-winning picture books have earned their spots as favorites among readers and listeners of all ages and from all over the world.  She is honored to be a three-time winner of the Colorado Book Award, a Parent’s Choice Gold Award Winner, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor winner and recognized on “Best of” lists by School Library Journal, the New York Times, NPR and Amazon.

Originally from Highland Park, Illinois, Jean earned a BBA from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from New York University. She spent the first years of her professional career in Chicago, New York and Denver before leaving the business world to raise her family and to write. Jean has four children, five grandchildren and hordes of nieces and nephews who provide her endless inspiration. And over several years, she also had four foster children filling both her home and her heart.

In addition to reading and writing, Jean enjoys bike riding, hiking, skiing and giving back as an avid community volunteer. In 2011, her “Light Up the Library” Auction, in partnership with Books for Africa, filled the library at Musana Children’s Home in Iganga, Uganda. In addition to her books for children, Jean’s articles on home, family, travel and writing have appeared in over fifty publications.

Jean is a member of the Colorado Council International Reading Association, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and has served on the board of Reach Out and Read Colorado.

Jean loves writing, but she loves chatting with her readers even more. That’s why she’s a frequent presenter on writing and reading and at schools and storytimes across the country—in person and virtually. Jean writes from her home in Chicago where she lives just a short walk from her neighborhood library … which she visits nearly every day.