J. Patrick Lewis facts for kids

J. Patrick Lewis (born May 5, 1942) is a famous American poet and writer. He is best known for writing fun and clever poems for children. Before becoming a full-time writer, he had a very different job. For over 20 years, he was a professor of economics, which is the study of how people make, use, and share money and goods. In 1998, he decided to focus completely on writing books for young people.

A Career Full of Awards

J. Patrick Lewis has won many awards for his amazing poetry. These awards show how much people love his work.

In 2010, he received a very important award from the National Council of Teachers of English for his great contributions to children's poetry. This award is only given out every two years to a poet who has made a big impact.

From 2011 to 2013, he was given the special title of U.S. Children's Poet Laureate. This is a huge honor, like being the official poetry ambassador for all the kids in the country! The title is now called the Young People's Poet Laureate.

Some of his other major awards include:

• The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Golden Kite Award
• The Ohioana Book Award for Poetry for Young Children
• The Claudia Lewis Award (named after another famous children's writer)
• The Cybils Award for Poetry

Popular Books by J. Patrick Lewis

J. Patrick Lewis has written over 100 books of poetry and stories for children. His books cover all sorts of topics, from silly animals and funny riddles to important moments in history. Here are just a few of his many popular books.

Funny and Playful Poems

• A Hippopotamusn't; and Other Animal Verses (1990) - A book full of funny poems about animals.
• Riddle-icious (1996) - A collection of clever riddles written in rhyme.
• Arithme-tickle: An Even Number of Odd Riddle-Rhymes (2002) - This book mixes math with funny riddles.
• The Underwear Salesman; and Other Odd-Job Verses (2009) - Poems about people with strange and silly jobs.
• World Rat Day: Poems About Real Holidays You've Never Heard Of (2013) - A book about weird but real holidays.

Poems About History and Famous People

• BoshBlobberBosh: Runcible Poems for Edward Lear (1998) - Poems written in the style of the famous nonsense poet Edward Lear.
• When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders (2012) - Powerful poems about the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.
• Voices from the March on Washington, 1963 (2014) - This book uses poetry to tell the story of the famous march where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.
• Harlem Hellfighters (2014) - A book about a brave group of African American soldiers in World War I.
• The Navajo Code Talkers (2016) - The story of Native American soldiers who used their language to create an unbreakable code during World War II.

Picture Books and Stories

• The Christmas of the Reddle Moon (1994) - A holiday story.
• The Last Resort (2002) - A picture book with detailed illustrations.
• The Stolen Smile (2004) - A story about the famous painting, the Mona Lisa.
• The House (2009) - A book that tells the history of a single house over many years.
• And the Soldiers Sang (2011) - A story about the famous Christmas truce during World War I.