Judy Delton
Judy Delton, born Judy Jaschke on May 6, 1931, in St. Paul, Minnesota, was a prolific author known for her contributions to children's literature. Raised in a strict Catholic household, Delton's early life was marked by a strong sense of fear instilled by her upbringing. After a brief stint in higher education and teaching, she became a single mother in her late thirties, which propelled her to pursue writing professionally. Her first children's book, *Two Good Friends*, published in 1974, was well-received and paved the way for her successful career.
Delton authored over one hundred works, including popular series like *Pee Wee Scouts* and *Condo Kids*, which often explored themes of childhood challenges such as divorce and loss. Her writing was characterized by relatable characters and realistic settings, resonating with young readers. In addition to her children's books, she wrote essays and articles for notable publications and shared her expertise through lectures and workshops. Delton passed away unexpectedly on December 31, 2001, but her legacy endures through her extensive body of work, which has sold millions of copies and continues to be cherished by readers.
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Judy Delton
Writer
- Born: May 6, 1931
- Birthplace: St. Paul, Minnesota
- Died: December 31, 2001
- Place of death: St. Paul, Minnesota
Biography
Judy Delton was born Judy Jaschke on May 6, 1931, in St. Paul, Minnesota, and lived there for most of her life. Her father, A. F. Jaschke, was a plant engineer and her mother, Alice Walsdorf Jaschke, was a homemaker. Both parents were strict Catholics, and she attended Catholic schools. She later would remember her childhood as a terrifying time, as she continually lived in fear of sin and damnation.
After high school, she spent a year at the School of Associated Arts in St. Paul. She attended the College of St. Catherine from 1957 to 1957, and then taught at private elementary schools in St. Paul from 1957 to 1964. In 1958, she married Jeff J. Delton, a school psychologist, and changed her name to Judy Delton. The couple had four children, Julie, Jina, Jennifer, and Jamie. For more than a decade, Delton worked as a homemaker, raising the children and volunteering with the Parent Teacher Association. When she was nearly forty, she found herself a single mother needing to provide for four children, and she began to write.
Her first publication was a poem in a local newspaper, for which she was paid six dollars. With no training in writing, but with the help of editors who coached her on mechanics and style, she published more than one hundred essays, poems, short stories, and feature articles in the next three years. Her first book was a children’s book, Two Good Friends (1974), about a duck and a bear who share chores. Its success led to many more juvenile books published in less than thirty years. Several of the books drew on Delton’s own childhood, featuring a young Catholic girl named Kitty growing up in St. Paul.
In 1988, Delton published Cookies and Crutches, the first book in her popular Pee Wee Scout series, and in 1990 she published the first six volumes of the Condo Kids series. She continued to write essays and articles for publications as diverse as The Wall Street Journal and Highlights for Children. As she became more experienced and more well known, she began lecturing at colleges and conducting writing workshops in her home, and in 1985 she published The Twenty-Nine Most Common Writing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them for Writer’s Digest. She died suddenly on December 31, 2001, of a blood infection, at the age of seventy.
Delton’s books contain realistic characters and settings and often feature children struggling with serious issues, including divorce, illness, or the loss of a pet. Two Good Friends was named an American Library Association Notable Book and a Junior Literary Guild selection. She published prolifically and her books sold well; the books in the Pee Wee Scout series have sold more than eight million copies.