| Birth Date: | November 22, 1950 |
| Birth Place: | Medford, Massachusetts |
| Citizenship: | United States of America Canada |
| Spouse: | Cal Smiley (1978–present) |
| Children: | 2 |
| Education: |
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| Awards: | Vicky Metcalf Award (2009) |
Linda Granfield (born November 22, 1950, in Medford)[1] is an American-Canadian writer of nearly thirty nonfiction children's books.[2] In 2001, she received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, an honour bestowed by the Writers' Trust of Canada to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth".[3]
Granfield was born November 22, 1950, in Medford, Massachusetts,[4] to Joseph J. and Barbara H. (née Boyd) Granfield. She had a younger brother who died when she was in the fifth grade.
Granfield studied at Oxford University in 1971 before transferring to Salem State College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972, having majored in English with a double minor in Education and French. She received a Master of Arts degree in English from Northeastern University in 1974. Later that year, she moved to Canada to begin her doctoral studies at the University of Toronto,[5] where she studied Victorian literature for two years.
While at the University of Toronto, Granfield met Cal Smiley, whom she married in 1978. She has two children: Devon Marie and Brian Lindsay.
Granfield is a dual-citizen in the United States and Canada.
While at a Canadian Booksellers Association conference, Granfield was approached by a representative from Kids Can Press, who asked, "When are you going to stop writing ABOUT children's books and write one yourself?" Based on this interaction, she decided to write her first children's book, All about Niagara Falls, which was published in 1988. She has since written nearly thirty children's books, which have won her numerous local and national awards.
Aside from writing, Granfield has been influential in various historical and factual endeavors, including being a consultant for various documentary films.[6] Along with being "a historical adviser for the Royal Canadian Air Force," she was "a member of the 'In Flanders Fields at 100' task force that successfully nominated John McCrae for membership in the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame."
In 2001, Granfield received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, an honour bestowed by the Writers' Trust of Canada to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth".
I Remember Korea is a Junior Library Guild book.[7]
| 1994 | Cowboy | Information Book Award | Winner | [8] | |
| 1995 | In Flanders Fields | IODE Jean Throop Book Award | Winner | [9] | |
| 1996 | In Flanders Fields | Information Book Award | Winner | [10] | |
| 1997 | Silent Night | Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada | Winner | [11] | |
| 1998 | In Flanders Fields | Red Cedar Book Award | Winner | [12] | |
| 2001 | Pier 21 | Information Book Award | Honour | ||
| 2001 | Pier 21 | Norma Fleck Award | Finalist | ||
| 2002 | Where Poppies Grow | Information Book Award | Winner | [13] | |
| 2009 | Remembering John McCrae | IODE Jean Throop Book Award | Winner | [14] [15] |
"The Year I Was Born" books are illustrated by Bill Slavin and Kids Can Press.