The University of Southern Mississippi -- de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
de Grummond Collection Home
Contributor List & Finding Aid Index| Special Collections


Manuscript Collection

Collection Title: Jene Barr Papers

Collection Number: DG0064

Inclusive Dates:1950-1967

Volume: 1.80 cu. ft.

Provenance : Donated by Jene Barr Cohen in 1967 and 1985.

Copyright: The collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U. S. Code).  Reproductions can be made only if they are to be used for "private study, scholarship, or research."  It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials, other than that noted above.

Biographical Sketch:

Jene Barr Cohen was born on July 28, 1900 in Kobrin, Russia to a Jewish family.  She graduated from Chicago Normal School of Physical Education in 1920.  She later studied at the University of Chicago, Chicago Teachers College, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Northwestern University.  She taught in the Chicago public school system from 1925 to 1964, starting as a physical education instructor from 1925 to 1935.  From 1935 to 1950, she taught in a classroom, and she worked as a teacher-librarian from 1950 to 1964. 

Wilcox & Follett published her first children’s book in 1944, but Whitman put out the majority of her works, starting with Little Prarie Dog in 1949.  Most of these Whitman books were for early readers, including a series about “Community Helpers,” co-written with Cynthia Chapin.  Ms. Cohen also co-wrote the “Young Champions” series with Robert Antonacci for McGraw.  She wrote all her books under the name Jene Barr.  She also served on numerous committees devoted to children’s reading, libraries and other subjects.  Ms. Cohen died in 1985.

Source:

Contemporary Authors, vol. 3NR

Scope and Content:

The collection contains materials for twelve books.  The materials are arranged alphabetically by title.  Within each title the materials are arranged in the probable order in which they were created.  Most of these books were written for early readers, from kindergarten through second grade.  Many of these titles concern the activities of professional people that children would be likely to meet in their hometowns.  The collection also holds material for one book in the “Young Champions” series.  Basketball for Young Champions describes in detail the rules and skills necessary to play basketball.  For each of these titles, the collection holds at least one typescript.  The holdings for Basketball for Young Champions includes several typescripts, a galley, and a dummy.

The “Alphabetical Files” contain biographical information, fan mail, information about public appearances, publicity information, and miscellaneous writings.

Series and Subseries:

A. Books (1950-1967)

  • BASKETBALL FOR YOUNG CHAMPIONS (1960)

  • BEN’S BUSY SERVICE STATION (1956)

  • BIG WHEELS, LITTLE WHEELS (1955)

  • FAST TRAINS! BUSY TRAINS! (1956)

  • FIRE SNORKEL NUMBER 7 (1965)

  • I LIVE IN A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY

  • THE LONG ELECTRIC TRAIN

  • MR. ZIP AND THE U.S. MAIL (1964)

  • POLICEMAN PAUL (1952)

  • TEXAS PETE: LITTLE COWBOY (1950)

  • WHAT CAN MONEY DO? (1967)

  • WHAT WILL THE WEATHER BE? (1965)

B. Alphabetical Files

Box Inventory

Box/Folder

A. Books (1950-1967)

Basketball for Young Champions by Robert J. Antonacci and Jene Barr,  illustrated by Richard Leach (New York: McGraw‑Hill, 1960).

1/1 Correspondence, 1960, 5 items
 

Notes, 10 pp.

1/2 Typescript, 23 pp.
1/3 Typescript, 100 pp.
1/4-1/5 Typescript, copy-edited,
1/4

Front matter, 20 pp., and pp. 1-47.

1/5

pp. 48-115.

1/6 Galley, 44 sheets
1/7 Proofs, 4 items
2/1-2/2

Dummy (text paste-ups were photocopied and removed for preservation reasons),

2/1

Original, pp. 2-159.

2/2

Photocopy, pp. 2-159.

Ben’s Busy Service Station by Jene Barr, illustrated by Chauncey Maltman (Chicago: A. Whitman, 1956).

2/3 Typescript, pp. 1-10.

Big Wheels, Little Wheels by Jene Barr, illustrated by Chauncey Maltman (Chicago: A. Whitman, 1955).

2/4 Typescript, pp. 1-7.
2/5 Galley, 3 sheets.

Fast Trains! Busy Trains! by Jene Barr, illustrated by Chauncey Maltman (Chicago: Whitman, 1956).

2/6 Typescript, 13 pp.
 

Typescript, 9 pp.

Fire Snorkel Number 7 by Jene Barr, illustrated by Joe Rogers (Chicago: A. Whitman, 1965).

2/7 Notes, 25 pp.
 

Typescript, 12 pp.

This is My Country [formerly titled “I Live In a Beautiful Country”] by Jene Barr, illustrated by Kevin Royt (Chicago: A. Whitman, 1965).

2/8 Typescript, 9 pp.

The Long Electric Train (no publication information available).

2/9

Typescript, 28 pp.

Mr. Zip and the U.S. Mail by Jene Barr, illustrated by Helen Fulkerson (Chicago: A. Whitman, 1964).

2/10 Correspondence, 1964, 3 items.
 

Typescript, 10 pp.

Policeman Paul by Jene Barr, illustrated by Chauncey Maltman ( Chicago : A. Whitman, 1952).

2/11

Typescript, 6 pp.

Texas Pete: Little Cowboy by Jene Barr, illustrated by Chauncey Maltman (Chicago: A. Whitman, 1950).

2/12

Typescript, 7 pp.

What Can Money Do? by Jene Barr, illustrated by Kevin Royt ( Chicago : A. Whitman, 1967).

2/13 Typescript, 9 pp.
2/14

Dummy, pp. 1-32.

What Will the Weather Be? by Jene Barr and Cynthia Chapin, illustrated by P. J. Hoff (Chicago: A. Whitman, 1965).

2/15 Notes, 21 pp.
2/16

Typescript, 12 pp.

 

Typescript, 8 pp.

B. Alphabetical Files

3/1 Biographical material, 9 items.
3/2

Book covers, 24 items.

3/3-3/8 Fan mail, 6 folders.
4/1 Miscellaneous material.
4/2 Photographs, 2 items.
4/3-4/4

Promotional visits and publicity material, 2 folders.

5/1-5/3

Scrapbook containing articles, publicity material and notices of public appearances,

5/1-5/2 23 pp.
5/3 Photocopies, 27 pp.
5/4-5/7

Writings

5/4

Articles, 3 items.

5/5

Book written by 5 th grade class, 1941, 1 item.

5/6 Poems
5/7 Short stories

 


Processed: January 1999

This finding aid is a product of a grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.


Created by: Dee Jones
Prepared and maintained by
University of Southern Mississippi Libraries de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
http://www.lib.usm.edu/degrummond
118 College Drive #5148   Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001

Please send comments or questions to http://www.lib.usm.edu/services/forms/askalib.html
Revised: March 13, 2017