J. Alison James

Background

J. Alison James was born on March 8, 1962, in Escondido, California, United States. She is the daughter of Norman and Ednah Illsley.

Education

James was educated at Vassar College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983. Then she discovered that there was a field that covered the two things she loved the most: children and books. She found a master's degree program in children's literature and studied the art and text of children's books at Simmons College (now Simmons University), where she obtained a Master of Arts degree in 1985.

Career

J. Alison James, after graduation from Simmons University, began her writing career. Also, she worked as a librarian in Everett, Milton, Lincoln, and Lake Placid from 1985 to 1991. Her first book, a time-travel fantasy, Sing for a Gentle Rain, was published in 1990. In this book, the author shows how someone can change the past and how it will affect him or her and others for the rest of their lives. Through the use of vivid details, James takes the reader through ups and downs and twists and turns until the end, where fantasy and reality are in one place. Two more known books by James are Eucalyptus Wings and The Drums of Noto Hanto.

In 1992 James co-founded Kindling Words, an annual conference for published authors and illustrators of children's books, where she is co-director currently. From 1994 till 1995 she also worked as an English as a second language teacher in Okayama, Japan, and from 1995 till 1996 in Oslo, Norway.

Alison James became best known as a translator of children's books. Of the many titles she translated, none was 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 did several sequels. The languages from which she translated included French, German, Dutch, and Italian.

James is also a contributor of entries to The Reader's Companion to Children's Literature, edited by Anita Silver, and that of "The Audition" to What a Song Can Do, edited by Jennifer Armstrong.

Achievements

• J. Alison James is a gifted author and a recognized translator of children's books. Her books as well as translations were warmly received and honored. The book Sing for a Gentle Rain was marked with awards from the Society of School Librarians International, the American Library Association, and the Children's Book Council/International Reading Association. It was selected as the best book for young adults, Young Adults Choice, and Book for the Teen Age by the New York Public Library.
  
  The book The Drums of Noto Hanto was selected as Notable Social Studies Trade Book by the National Council for the Social Studies/Children's Book Council in 2000. For the translation of The Rainbow Fish, James received the Christopher Award.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Eucalyptus Wings

    (Wishing that she could fly just like the spinning silver-...)

    1995
  • Sing for a Gentle Rain

    (A boy's search for an explanation to a persistent dream l...)

    1990
  • Drums of Noto Hanto

    (The people in a small village in ancient Japan manage to ...)

    1999

• books

  • Rainbow Fish Series

    (Rainbow Fish Series is written by Marcus Pfister and tran...)

Politics

J. Alison characterized her views on politics as progressive.

Connections

James married Joplin James on June 21, 1986. The marriage produced two children, Anika and McKinley.

Father:

Norman Illsley

Mother:

Ednah Illsley

husband:

Joplin James