Jane Werner Watson was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. She received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin in 1936. In 1938 she became one of the first editors for the original Golden Books series published by Western Publishing in conjunction with Simon and Schuster. She wrote and edited several of the Golden Books herself, especially those based on Walt Disney films. She also wrote a series of picture books for children in India and a series titled "Living in Today's World" that introduced American children to cultures around the world. She retired from Western Publishing in 1958, the same year she was named Woman of the Year in Literature by the Los Angeles Times.