JAMES, J. Alison 1962-

PERSONAL:

Born March 8, 1962, in Escondito, CA; daughter of Norman and Ednah Illsley; married Joplin James (a teacher), June 21, 1986; children: Anika, McKinley. Education: Vassar College, A.B., 1983; Simmons College, M.A., 1985. Politics: "Progressive." Religion: Society of Friends (Quaker).

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Robert Lescher, Lescher & Lescher, 47 East 19th St., New York, NY 10003.

CAREER:

Author and translator, 1984—. Librarian in Everett, MA, Milton, VT, Lincoln, VT, and Lake Placid, NY, 1985-91; English as a second language teacher in Okayama, Japan, 1994-95, and Oslo, Norway, 1995-96. Director of Kindling Words, an annual conference for published authors and illustrators of children's books, 1992—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Highest honor for fiction award, Society of School Librarians International, Best Books for Young Adults selection, American Library Association, Young Adults Choice selection, Children's Book Council/International Reading Association, and Book for the Teen Age, New York Public Library, all for Sing for a Gentle Rain; Notable Social Studies Trade Book, National Council for the Social Studies/Children's Book Council, 2000, for The Drums of Noto Hanto; Christopher Medal for translation of The Rainbow Fish.

WRITINGS:

Sing for a Gentle Rain, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1990.

Runa, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1993.

Eucalyptus Wings, illustrated by Demi, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1995.

The Drums of Noto Hanto, illustrated by Tsukushi, DK Ink (New York, NY), 1999.

Also contributor of entries to The Reader's Companion to Children's Literature, edited by Anita Silver, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1995. Contributor of "The Audition," to What a Song Can Do, edited by Jennifer Armstrong, Knopf (New York, NY), 2004.

FOR CHILDREN; TRANSLATOR

Tilde Michels, Rabbit Spring, illustrated by Käthi Bhend, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1988.

Marcus Pfister, The Rainbow Fish, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Ingrid Ostheeren, Fabian Youngpig Sails the World, illustrated by Serena Romanelli, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Eleonore Schmid, The Air around Us, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Ursel Scheffler, Rinaldo the Sly Fox, illustrated by Iskender Gider, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Hans de Beer, The Little Polar Bear and the Brave Little Hare, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Gerda Marie Scheidl, Loretta and the Little Fairy, illustrated by Christa Unzner-Fischer, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Coby Hol, Niki's Little Donkey, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Pirkko Vainio, The Snow Goose, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Marcus Pfister, The Christmas Star, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Ingrid Ostheeren, The New Dog, illustrated by Jean-Pierre Corderoc'h, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Ursel Scheffler, The Return of Rinaldo the Sly Fox, illustrated by Iskender Gider, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Winfried Wolf, Christmas with Grandfather, pictures by Eugen Sopko, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Dominique Falda, Night Flight, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Ingrid Ostheeren, Martin and the Pumpkin Ghost, illustrated by Christa Unzner-Fischer, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Gerda Marie Scheidl, The Moon Man, illustrated by Jozef Wildon, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Wolfram Hänel, Lila's Little Dinosaur, illustrated by Alex de Wolf, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Wolfram Hänel, The Extraordinary Adventures of an Ordinary Hat, illustrated by Christa Unzner-Fischer, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Wolfram Hänel, Mia the Beach Cat, illustrated by Kirsten Höcker, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Burny Bos, Meet the Molesons, illustrated by Hans de Beer, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Marcus Pfister, Dazzle the Dinosaur, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Marcus Pfister, Rainbow Fish to the Rescue!, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Marianne Busser and Ron Schröder, On the Road with Poppa Wopper, illustrated by Hans de Beer, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Dominique Falda, The Angel and the Child: An Incidental Incident in Twelve Scenes, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Ursel Scheffler, Rinaldo on the Run, illustrated by Iskender Gider, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Jürgen Lässig, Spiny, illustrated by Uli Waas, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Krista Ruepp, Midnight Rider, illustrated by Ulrike Heyne, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Burny Bos, More from the Molesons, illustrated by Hans de Beer, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Hannelore Voigt, Not Now, Sara!, illustrated by Olivier Corthésy and Nicolas Fossati, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Antonie Schneider, You Shall Be King, illustrated by Christa Unzner, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Burny Bos, Leave It to the Molesons!, illustrated by Hans de Beer, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Antonie Schneider, The Birthday Bear, illustrated by Uli Waas, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Tanja Székessy, A Princess in Boxland, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Dorothea Lachner, A Gift from Saint Nicholas, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Marianne Busser and Ron Schröder, King Bobble, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Marcus Pfister, Wake Up, Santa Claus!, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Wolfram Hänel, The Other Side of the Bridge, illustrated by Alex de Wolf, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Ingrid Uebe, Melinda and Nock and the Magic Spell, illustrated by Alex de Wolf, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Wolfgang Bittner, Wake Up, Grizzly!, illustrated by Gustavo Rosemffet, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Dorothea Lachner, Meredith, The Witch Who Wasn't, illustrated by Christa Unzner, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Gerda Marie Scheidl, Andy's Wild Animal Adventure, illustrated by Gisela Dürr, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Krista Ruepp, Horses in the Fog, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Pirkko Vainio, The Dream House, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Gerda Wagner, The Ghost in the Classroom, illustrated by Uli Waas, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Wilhelm Gruber, The Upside-Down Reader, illustrated by Marlies Rieper-Bastian, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Marcus Pfister, Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Marcus Pfister, How Leo Learned to Be King, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Antonie Schneider, Good Bye, Vivi!, illustrated by Maja Dusíková, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Udo Weigelt, The Strongest Mouse in the World, illustrated by Nicolas d'Aujourd'hui, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Antonie Schneider, Luke the Lionhearted, illustrated by Cristina Kadmon, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Brigitte Schär, The Blind Fairy, illustrated by Julia Gukova, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Adele Sansone, The Little Green Goose, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Wolfram Hänel, Mary and the Mystery Dog, illustrated by Kirsten Höcker, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Anne Liersch, A House Is Not a Home, illustrated by Christa Unzner, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Udo Weigelt, All Weather Friends, illustrated by Nicolas d'Aujourd'hui, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Udo Weigelt, Hiding Horatio, illustrated by Alexander Reichstein, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Ulli Schubert, Harry's Got a Girlfriend, illustrated by Wolfgang Slawski, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Antonie Schneider, Come Back, Pigeon, illustrated by Uli Waas, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Rolf Siegenthaler, Never Fear, Snake My Dear, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Gerda Marie Scheidl, Tommy's New Sister, illustrated by Christa Unzner, North-South Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Bruno Hächler, The Bears' Christmas Surprise, illustrated by Angela Kehlenbeck, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Brigitte Weninger, adapter, Elf's Hat, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Wolfram Hänel, Little Elephant's Song, illustrated by Christa Kadmon, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Ursel Scheffler, Be Brave, Little Lion!, illustrated by Ruth Scholte van Mast, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Udo Weigelt, Who Stole the Gold?, illustrated by Julia Gukova, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Dorothea Lachner, Danny, the Angry Lion, illustrated by Gusti, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Burny Bos, Fun with the Molesons, illustrated by Hans de Beer, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Dorothea Lachner, Meredith's Mixed-Up Magic, illustrated by Christa Unzner, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Brigitte Weninger, Special Delivery, illustrated by Alexander Reichstein, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Burny Bos, Alexander the Great, illustrated by Hans de Beer, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Marcus Pfister, Happy Hedgehog, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Udo Weigelt, The Easter Bunny's Baby, illustrated by Rolf Siegenthaler, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Kerstin Chen, Lord of the Cranes, illustrated by Jian Jiang Chen, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Pirkko Vainio, Best of Friends, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Francesca Bosca, The Apple King, illustrated by Giuliano Ferri, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Wolfram Hänel, Little Elephant Runs Away, illustrated by Christina Kadmon, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Anne Liersch, Nell and Fluffy, illustrated by Christa Unzner, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Gerlinde Wiencirz, Teddy's Easter Secret, illustrated by Giuliano Lunelli, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Susi Bohdal, Tiger Baby, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Miriam Monnier, Just Right!, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Gerlinde Wiencirz, Teddy's Halloween Secret, illustrated by Giuliano Lunelli, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Raoul Krischanitz, Molto's Dream, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Marcus Pfister, Rainbow Fish and the Sea Monster's Cave, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Burny Bos, Good Times with the Molesons, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Krista Ruepp, The Sea Pony, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Udo Weigelt, It Wasn't Me!, illustrated by Julia Gukova, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Christophe Loupi, Hugs and Kisses, illustrated by Eve Tharlet, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Ivan Gantschev, reteller and illustrator, The Three Little Rabbits, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Nannie Kuiper, Bailey the Bear Cub, illustrated by Jeska Verstegen, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Linard Bardill, The Great Golden Thing, illustrated by Miriam Monnier, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Udo Weigelt, Alex Did It!, illustrated by Christina Kadmon, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Birte Müller, Giant Jack, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Karl Rühmann, Who Will Go to School Today?, illustrated by Miriam Monnier, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Karl Rühmann, But I Want To!, illustrated by John A. Rowe, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Bruno Hächler, Pablo the Pig, illustrated by Nina Spranger, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Ulrich Karger, The Scary Sleepover, illustrated by Uli Waas, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Hubert Flattinger, Stormy Night, illustrated by Nathalie Duroussy, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Brigitte Weninger, Davy, Help! It's a Ghost!, illustrated by Eve Tharlet, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Udo Weigelt, What Lies on the Other Side?, illustrated by Maja Dusikova, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Krista Ruepp, Winter Pony, illustrated by Ulrike Heyne, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Geraldine Elschner, Moonchild, Star of the Sea, illustrated by Lieselotte Schwarz, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Udo Weigelt, Fair-Weather Friend, illustrated by Nora Hilb, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Karl Rühman, The Little Christmas Tree, illustrated by Anne Möller, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Udo Weigelt, The Sandman, illustrated by Sibylle Heusser, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Udo Weigelt, Sleepy Bear's Christmas, illustrated by Cristina Kadmon, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Peter Horn, The Best Father of All, illustrated by Cristina Kadmon, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Dorothea Lachner, Meredith and Her Magical Book of Spells, illustrated by Christina Unzner, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Jean-Pierre Jaggi, Pirate Pete Sets Sail, illustrated by Alan Clarke, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Mariana Fedorova, The Smallest Circus in the World, illustrated by Eugen Sopko, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Christophe Loupy, Don't Worry, Wags, illustrated by Eve Tharlet, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Francesca Bosca, Christmas Cakes, illustrated by Giuliano Ferri, 2003.

Isabel Pin, Bumblebee Blues, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2004.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Two picture books; a children's novel; two adult novels; several translations for North-South Books (New York, NY), including Udo Weigelt's King Ironfoot, illustrated by Angelika Nieser; Nancy E. Walker-Guye's Merry Christmas, Mama Mouse, illustrated by Nora Hilb; Udo Weigelt's Finn and Max and the Gang of Cats, illustrated by Nora Hilb; Birte Müller's Finn Cooks; Kristina Franke's Kindergarten Year, illustrated by Sigrid Leberer; Antonie Schneider's Little Fay and the Big Black Dog, illustrated by Quentin Grèban; Nannie Kuiper's Beaver Danger, illustrated by Jeska Verstegen; Udo Weigelt's The Bad Mood, illustrated by Amélie Jackowski; Brigitte Luciani's The Hempels Clean Up, illustrated by Vannessa Hié; and Eva Montanari's Dino Bikes.

SIDELIGHTS:

An award-winning author of children's books, J. Alison James once shared with CA her start as a writer. "When I was in college, I was admitted to a poetry class taught by Nancy Willard. That year, as she was encouraging us to listen to the Giver of Dreams, she was writing the Newbery/Caldecott winner, A Visit to William Blake's Inn. She knew long before I did that I was going to write for children. When I was almost finished with Vassar, I discovered that there was a field that covered the two things that I loved the most: children and books. I found a master's degree program in children's literature and studied the art and text of children's books with a critical eye. I had two years of luxury in that program and began my first novel with Nancy Bond, who had just received a Newbery Honor for her first book, A String in the Harp." Studying under other notable names in children's literature, including Ethel and Paul Heins, and Betty Levin, while at Simmons College, James began her first novel Sing for a Gentle Rain, as a creative thesis, a book that was eventually published by Atheneum.

James got her inspiration for Sing for a Gentle Rain in a most unconventional way. As she once related to CA, "One Sunday morning, at the end of September, I walked into the Quaker meeting house and saw a beautiful man. I sat down and for twenty minutes tried to silently get his attention. Finally, chagrined, I closed my eyes to worship. In the next forty minutes, the entire plot and characters, parallels and details, of my first book came to life, as if I was watching the story play out in a movie. By the rise of meeting, I was shaking and awed. I had my book to write. It took me three hours to meet this man, but when we at last overcame the shyness, we spent the day together, and by midnight, waltzing at a folk dance, we knew we were going to get married. It took six years to write Sing for a Gentle Rain, and twelve revisions, but I never lost what came that morning."

Sing for a Gentle Rain is a time-travel fantasy about a high school student named James Winter who is pulled back to the year 1280 where he meets a young Anasazi woman, Spring Rain. Her people are threatened by extinction because of an extended drought. It is Spring Rain's desperate prayers that have brought James back in time. Her grandfather, Anasan, is the tribal shaman and leader. He has reluctantly taught Spring Rain their songs of power, but Anasan cannot bring himself to reveal their meaning to a girl, even though she is the last of their line. Their people cannot move forward until Spring Rain has a son who can lead them to a new land. The problem is that there are no young men in their community to father her child. James, himself half-Pueblo, finds many things that he has in common with Spring Rain. For him, a painful discovery of culture and language evolves into a rich love for Spring Rain. A critic for Kirkus Reviews called Sing for a Gentle Rain a "beautifully imagined story" and Roger Sutton, writing for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, commented that "Both teens are convincingly of their respective times, and their cross-cultural romance is realistically awkward." In Horn Book, Nancy Vasilakis praised James's "unobtrusive blending of the real and fantastic.…The shifts in time are smooth and plausible, the author's vivid detailing of scenes giving life to both modern and ancient episodes."

Switching from the American Southwest to a limestone island off the coast of Sweden, James's second novel, Runa, tells about a twelve-year-old girl named Runa who travels to Sweden to visit her grandfather. While there, she learns of a curse begun a thousand years ago in which all girls in her family born on Midsummer Day must die on their thirteenth birthday. Runa turns thirteen in three days and must solve the mystery of how to avoid her fate. James told CA about this book: "Runa's evolution was more organic; ideas stuck together like atoms to a molecule, each idea changing the structure and forming something new. Powerful, mythic stories clustered around a theme of sacrifice, like the story of Iphigenia, the daughter of King Agamemnon who he had to sacrifice at the start of the Trojan War; or the play Equus. The central catalyst for Runa, was a more personal tragedy. One month before my wedding, my beloved grandmother died. Two years later, a month before my first daughter was born, my mother was killed in a car accident. I was struggling with the unanswerable question of why I had to give up so much to gain such blessings."

The curse of Runa's family began centuries before, when one of Runa's ancestors refused to sacrifice her beloved horse and offered her thirteen-year-old daughter as a sacrifice instead. A reviewer for The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books wrote, "the mythic core of the novel is fierce and dark." Ann Welton, reviewing for Voice of Youth Advocates, noted, "The setting, the Swedish island of Gotland is beautifully described in visual language." Wendy E. Betts, writing for the WEB Online Review, (now called Notes from the Windowsill) described Runa as "a haunting, beautifully written book, with a mystical quality that does not stop it from being painfully real and believable."

James told CA that the way she sees the world is more like the genre of magic realism than anything else. Her first original picture book, Eucalyptus Wings, is a story of magic and friendship. Drawing from early childhood memories of a swing that her father built high in a eucalyptus tree in their back yard, James wrote a story about two girls who find a magical cocoon that, for just one night, gives them the ability to fly. When the magic is finished, they are left with the realization that it will never happen again. Their seemingly endless joy is suddenly like the rubber pieces of a popped balloon: lifeless. But when Kiria goes back home, she discovers the swing that her father has been making for her: "a swing with ropes so long it will give you wings!" Referring to her book, James told CA, "Sometimes we have an experience that is unrepeatable. Eucalyptus Wings is about allowing that experience to internalize, to become part of the story that makes us who we are."

Where James lives, as she revealed to CA, there is a drumming group of Japanese Taiko, and she has always been riveted by their performances. One year, they played a piece that had a program note about its story. A small village in ancient Japan frightened off invading samurai warriors by wearing demon masks and pounding on their drums. It immediately struck James as a perfect story for a picture book. When their family moved to Okayama, Japan, the following year, she took a research trip to the peninsula of Noto Hanto, where the event took place. She met with the descendants of the original villagers, saw them perform their drumming, and photographed their masks. Then she wrote the story, using strongly rhythmic language for the sounds of the drums: "Don kada Don Don!" In the picture book, the peaceful villagers of Noto Hanto rely upon their drums to signal changes in the seasons and other important events. When samurai warriors threaten the town, the drummers don masks, build fires, and use their drums to intimidate their foes. In the end they triumph, and the village returns to peace. A Publishers Weekly reviewer found The Drums of Noto Hanto "dramatic" and a "splendid picture book." The critic also observed that James's "text exudes a palpable energy." Describing the book as a "simply yet powerfully told tale," School Library Journal contributor Grace Oliff concluded that The Drums of Noto Hano provides "a unique and interesting" story.

Of the many titles James has translated, none has been so popular as Marcus Pfister's "Rainbow Fish" series. Rainbow Fish is a colorful character made iridescent by the use of holographic foil. James translated the debut title, Rainbow Fish in 1992 and has done several sequels. Rainbow Fish and its sequels have become international bestsellers, with more than four million copies in print. It is widely considered one of the most successful children's book series of the 1990s.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

James, J. Alison, The Drums of Noto Hanto, illustrated by Tsukushi, DK Ink (New York, NY), 1999.

PERIODICALS

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December, 1990, Roger Sutton, review of Sing for a Gentle Rain; August 4, 1993, review of Runa.

Horn Book, January, 1991, Nancy Vasilakis, review of Sing for a Gentle Rain, p. 74.

Kirkus Reviews, October, 1990, review of Sing for a Gentle Rain.

Magpies, November, 1995, Anne Freier, review of Rainbow Fish and Rainbow Fish to the Rescue!, p. 12.

Publishers Weekly, July 12, 1999, review of The Drums of Noto Hanto, p. 94.

School Library Journal, November, 1992, Ellen Fader, review of Rainbow Fish, pp. 75-76; August, 1999, Grace Oliff, review of The Drums of Noto Hanto, p. 137.

Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 1990, Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, review of Sing for a Gentle Rain, p. 298; October, 1993, Ann Welton, review of Runa.

ONLINE

Alison James Web site,http://www.JAlisonJames.com (January 10, 2004).

Notes from the Windowsill (formerly WEB Online Review), http://deeptht.armory.com/~web/notes.html/ (September, 1993), Wendy E. Betts, review of Runa.