De Jong attended Dutch Calvinist secondary schools and Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and entered the University of Chicago, but left without graduating.

De Jong held various jobs during the Great Depression and began writing children's books at the suggestion of a local librarian.

He wrote several more books before joining the US Army Air Corps during World War II, serving in China.

In 1962 De Jong won the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award for his lasting contribution to literature for young people.

He was the first American recipient of the honor, the highest international recognition for a creator of children's books (later, for a writer or illustrator).