Her mother, Isabelle Berlin Yolen, wrote adult stories, one of which was published, and composed crossword puzzles, many of which appeared in children's magazines. Inspired by her parents to value books and love words, Yolen knew she wanted to be a writer but at first assumed she would be a journalist, even though she was intrigued by poetry and folklore. While in college, she wrote poetry and sang folk songs professionally in order to earn money for living expenses, and she has commented that she hopes her "tales sound as if they could be sung." After receiving her B.A. degree in 1960 from Smith College, Yolen was a production assistant for
Saturday Review magazine for half a year, after which she worked for several publishing houses, first as assistant editor for Gold Medal Books from 1960 to 1961, then as associate editor for Rutledge books from 1961 to 1962, and finally as assistant editor of juvenile books for Alfred A. Knopf from 1962 to 1965. The year she came to Knopf, Yolen married David W. Stemple, a photographer and computer expert. She also began writing children's books;
See This Little Line", a concept book in rhyme, appeared in 1963.
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