Jonah Winter (born August 19, 1962) is an American childrenâÂÂs book author, illustrator, musician and poet, best known for his nonfiction picture books about racial justice, baseball players, politicians, artists, and musicians.
Winter was born August 19, 1962, in Fort Worth, Texas. He grew up in Dallas, Texas, the son of author-illustrator Jeanette Winter and visual artist Roger Winter. His first publication credit came at age seven with poems published in an adult literary magazine. He went on to study poetry at Oberlin College.
After supporting himself as a flower deliverer, a llama ranch hand, and a childrenâÂÂs book editor during his 20s, Winter launched his childrenâÂÂs book career in 1991 with a book conceived and illustrated by Jeanette Winter, entitled Diego (Alfred A. Knopf), for which he wrote the text.àHe went on to write more than 40 childrenâÂÂs books, including two that he also illustrated, Fair Ball: 14 Great Stars from BaseballâÂÂs Negro Leagues (Scholastic, 1999), and Beisbol!àLatino Baseball Pioneers and Legends (Lee and Low, 2001).àAs a poet, he has published two full-length volumes for adults, Maine (Slope Editions, 1999) and Amnesia (Oberlin College Press, 2004), and two chapbooks, The Continuing Misadventures of Andrew, the Headless Talking Bear (Octopus Books, 2006) and Book Reports (Octopus Books, 2007).
During the early 1990s, Winter was a member of the indie rock band, EdâÂÂs Redeeming Qualities, in which he sang and played clarinet, accordion, mandolin, guitar and tin whistle, as featured on two albums, Big Grapefruit Cleanup Job and At the Fish and Game Club.àThe band was featured in a romantic comedy film from 1996 called EdâÂÂs Next Move.
In recent years, Winter has criticized censorship of childrenâÂÂs books, in essays published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Dallas Morning News, and in a C-SPAN interview.
Three of WinterâÂÂs books have won the New York Times Best Illustrated Award:àDiego (1991), illustrated by Jeanette Winter; Here Comes the Garbage Barge (2010), illustrated by Red Nose Studio; and Ruth Bader Ginsburg:àThe Case of RBG vs. Inequality (2017), illustrated by Stacy Innerst.àIn 2008, his book Barack was a New York Times Best-Seller.àHis 2013 book, You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!, was a New York Times Editors Choice.àHis 2016 book, My Name Is James Madison Hemings, was a New York Times Notable ChildrenâÂÂs Book.
Other accolades include a Jane Addams ChildrenâÂÂs Book Award Honor for his 2015 book, LillianâÂÂs Right to Vote, which was also a Kirkus Prize finalist that year.àIn 2019, WinterâÂÂs book, The Sad Little Fact, was a Time Magazine Best ChildrenâÂÂs Book of the year, and his book, Thurgood, was a Washington Post Best ChildrenâÂÂs Book.àIn 2024, Winter was honored with a Horace Mann Upstanders Award for his book, Banned Book.