Jerdine Nolen is an award-winning children’s author and former elementary school teacher from Howard County, Md. She is the author of numerous picture books, 11 of which are currently in print. Her best-known books include Raising Dragons, illustrated by Elise Primavera, which received the Christopher Award, and Harvey Potter’s Balloon Farm, illustrated by Mark Buehner, winner of the Kentucky Bluegrass Award. She and Kadir Nelson collaborated on Thunder Rose, which School Library Journal called “a wonderful tale of joy and love” and Hewitt Anderson’s Great Big Life, which received the Society of Illustrators’ Gold Medal.
Jerdine Nolen has recently released her first novel and latest book, Eliza’s Freedom Road: An Underground Railroad Diary. Geared towards middle-school readers, this historical fiction book written in a diary format tells the story of a 12-year-old slave named Eliza and her journey to freedom.
Submitted by: Maryland Women’s Heritage Center
