Jerry Craft facts for kids

Jerry Craft (born January 22, 1963) is an American cartoonist and author. He is famous for his newspaper comic strip Mama's Boyz and his popular graphic novels, including New Kid, Class Act, and School Trip. A graphic novel is a story told with comic book-style art.

Craft is one of the few African American cartoonists whose work is syndicated. This means his comics are published in many different newspapers across the country.

Early Life and Schooling

Jerry Craft grew up in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. He went to the Ethical Culture Fieldston School for his early education.

He always loved art. He later attended the School of Visual Arts, a famous art school in New York. He graduated in 1984 with a degree in Media Arts.

A Career in Comics and Books

Before becoming a full-time cartoonist, Craft worked in advertising for twelve years. During this time, he also started drawing for big companies like Marvel Comics and Harvey Comics.

Later, he worked for King Features Syndicate, a company that distributes comics to newspapers. This connection helped his own comic strip, Mama's Boyz, get syndicated in 1995.

Craft also worked for the Sports Illustrated for Kids website. There, he created popular cartoons and was nominated for an award. In 2006, he decided to leave his job to focus completely on being a cartoonist. Today, he often visits schools and libraries to teach kids about cartooning.

The Story of Mama's Boyz

Mama's Boyz is a comic strip about a single mom named Pauline Porter and her two teenage sons, Tyrell and Yusuf. The strip shows their everyday lives and family adventures.

Craft first created a similar comic in 1987. He later used some of those ideas to create Mama's Boyz in 1990. At first, he published it himself in a few weekly papers. In 1995, King Features began sending it to newspapers all over the country.

The comic strip has been featured in several books, including Chicken Soup for the African American Soul. The characters from Mama's Boyz also help represent the American Diabetes Association's program for African Americans.

The Success of New Kid

New Kid is a graphic novel published in 2019. It tells the story of Jordan Banks, a seventh-grader who leaves his neighborhood school to attend a wealthy private school where most students are white.

The book is partly based on Craft's own experiences. It explores what it's like to be one of the only Black students in a new school. Jordan deals with small but hurtful comments and actions, known as microaggressions, as he tries to fit in.

In 2020, New Kid won the Newbery Medal, one of the most important awards in children's literature. It was the first graphic novel ever to win this award. It also won the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the Kirkus Prize.

Personal Life

Craft had two sons, Jaylen and Aren. Sadly, his son Aren passed away on February 8, 2024, at the age of 24. Before his death, Aren and his brother Jaylen co-wrote a book with their father called The Offenders: Saving the World While Serving Detention!. Jerry Craft currently lives in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Major Awards and Honors

• 2020 Newbery Medal for New Kid
• 2020 Coretta Scott King Author Award for New Kid
• 2013 Glyph Awards for Best Comic Strip for Mama's Boyz
• 2009 and 2004 African American Literary Awards Show Open Book Awards
• Two-time winner of the American Diabetes Association Outstanding Supporter Award
• Nominated for an award by the National Cartoonists Society