Jennifer Thermes

Jennifer Thermes is an author and illustrator whose stories are influenced by her deep love of history. Jennifer grew up in Port Washington, New York, where she either had her nose in a book, or was in the art room at school experimenting with everything from pencils to printmaking. She graduated from Parsons School of Design and then worked in magazine publishing, where her favorite part of the job was hiring illustrators.

Since 1993, Jennifer has worked as a freelance illustrator for magazines, educational publishers, and various other clients. She specializes in whimsical maps created in pen & ink and watercolor. She began writing and illustrating her own stories, and in 2001 her first picture book was published (When I Was Built). Her second book, Sam Bennett’s New Shoes, was released in early 2006. Her favorite piece of advice to young people who want to write and illustrate their own stories is: keep practicing, and keep reading!

Jennifer lives in Newtown, Connecticut, with her husband and children, three cats, one crazy Dalman dog, and countless mice. She lives in a farmhouse that was built around the year 1720—the perfect place to inspire her projects.



					Sam Bennett’s New Shoes written and illustrated by Jennifer Thermes Carolrhoda Books, 2006 ISBN 978-1-57505-822-1 Spring was a promise away on the day the cobbler traveled over the hill to the Bennetts' farm. It was a special day...for Sam, the oldest child, was getting new shoes. Shoes were costly, but Sam's were worn and full of holes. The new shoes were big. "To give you room to grow," said Papa. Sam Bennett needs new shoes. His old ones are full of holes, and Sam is growing up. With new shoes, Sam will now be allowed to help his papa plow the fields and shear the sheep. Yet when Sam’s new shoes arrive he learns that his old pair still has a purpose. Together, Sam and his papa hide his old shoes in the walls of the house to bring the family good luck. Sam grows into new responsibilities as well as his new shoes in this colonial coming-of-age tale. Inspired by finding an old boot and shoe in her own 1720’s home, an author’s note describes the little-known tradition of hidden “concealment” shoes.



					When I Was Built written and illustrated by Jennifer Thermes Henry Holt and Company, 2001 ISBN 978-0-8050-6532-9 Today, big houses surround me, up and down my street. When I was built, the Fairchilds were the only people around for miles and miles. Standing strong and proud, a trusty old farmhouse reflects on its beginnings, remembering the Fairchild family who built it more than two hundred years ago and comparing what life was like then to the bustling world of the Gray family, its present dwellers. With rich historical detail and warm affirmation of both past and present, When I Was Built celebrates continuity and change, as it conveys the welcoming spirit that makes a house a much-loved home.