May, Jill P., 1943-
Dates
- Existence: 1943
Biographical Information
Jill P. May was born in Rocky Ford, Colorado to parents Floyd Powell and Glenda Florine “Flo” Riggs. She received her B.A. from Wisconsin State University in English in 1965, and a M.S.L.S from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in library science with an emphasis in children's literature in 1966. She is Professor Emerita in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue University with a focus on language and literacy. While at Purdue, May conducted research on many children’s authors and illustrators and published scholarly articles for journals in the field. She was heavily involved in the Children’s Literature Association (ChLA) and other national associations, where she collaborated with others and formed lifelong relationships with colleagues also working within academia and children’s literature. May coedited a textbook titled Exploring Culturally Diverse Literature for Children and Adolescents: Learning to Listen in New Ways (2004) with friend and colleague, Darwin L. Henderson. Additionally, May and her husband, Robert E. May, coauthored two books, Howard Pyle: Imagining an American School of Art (2011) and Spearhead Environmental Change: the Legacy of Indiana Congressman Floyd J. Fithian (2022). The Purdue Publication, First Opinions, Second Reactions, was also co-edited by May. She has remained active in the field since retiring in 2011 with research interests in culturally diverse children's literature, Howard Pyle School of Art, and women artists (1870-1920).