Jean Carolyn Craighead George (July 2, 1919 – May 15, 2012) was an acclaimed American author, celebrated for her significant contribution to children's literature. Over her illustrious career, she penned more than one hundred books for children and young adults. Among her most notable works are the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves and the Newbery runner-up My Side of the Mountain. George's writing often explored themes related to the environment and the natural world, reflecting her deep passion for these subjects.

Besides children's fiction, she authored at least two guides to cooking with wild foods and an autobiography, Journey Inward, published 30 years before her death. Her contributions to literature were recognized when she was nominated as the U.S. representative for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1964.

George was also a devoted mother to three children, Twig C. George, Craig, and T. Luke George, and a loving grandmother who cherished reading to her grandchildren from their birth. Throughout her life, she housed one hundred and seventy-three pets, not counting dogs and cats, in her Chappaqua, New York home. This personal connection to animals further influenced her writing, which often featured wildlife and their habitats.