Jerry Craft facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jerry Craft |
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Craft at the 2025 Texas Book Festival.
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| Born | January 22, 1963 New York City, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist |
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Notable works
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Mama's Boyz New Kid |
| Awards | Glyph Awards (2013) Newbery Medal (2020) |
Jerry Craft, born on January 22, 1963, is a talented American cartoonist and illustrator of children's books. He is famous for his newspaper comic strip Mama's Boyz and his popular graphic novels like New Kid, Class Act, and School Trip. Jerry Craft is one of the few African American cartoonists whose work appears regularly in many newspapers.
Contents
Jerry Craft's Early Life and School Days
Jerry Craft grew up in a neighborhood called Washington Heights in New York City. He went to the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. Later, he studied at the School of Visual Arts and earned a degree in Media Arts in 1984.
Jerry Craft's Creative Career
Jerry Craft started his career working as a writer for advertising companies for twelve years. During this time, he also began drawing comics for big names like Marvel Comics and Harvey Comics.
He then worked for King Features Syndicate, a company that distributes comics to newspapers. This connection helped his own comic strip, Mama's Boyz, start appearing in newspapers in 1995.
Later, Jerry Craft became the editorial director for the Sports Illustrated for Kids website. He was even nominated for an award for his fun online cartoons. In 2006, he decided to focus completely on being a cartoonist.
Today, Jerry Craft often visits schools, camps, and libraries to teach kids about cartooning.
His graphic novel New Kid received the prestigious Newbery Medal on January 27, 2020. This was a huge moment because it was the first graphic novel ever to win this award! New Kid also won the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the Kirkus Prize.
Exploring Mama's Boyz Comic Strip
Mama's Boyz is a comic strip about Pauline Porter, an African American single mother, and her two teenage sons, Tyrell and Yusuf. The comic also features Pauline's brother Greg and their parents.
This comic strip grew from an earlier one called The Outside View, which Jerry Craft started in 1987. In 1990, he used ideas from that strip to create Mama's Boyz. He first shared it with newspapers like New York's The City Sun. By 1995, King Features Syndicate began distributing Mama's Boyz to many newspapers every week.
Mama's Boyz has been recognized in books like Great Books for African American Children. Its characters have also helped the American Diabetes Association with their programs for African Americans.
The Story Behind New Kid
Published in 2019, New Kid is a graphic novel that tells the story of Jordan Banks. Jordan is an African-American seventh grader who starts at a new private school. This school has mostly white and wealthy students.
The book shares some of Jerry Craft's own experiences growing up. Jordan is one of only a few African-American students there. He learns to navigate new social situations and find his place in a different environment.
Jerry Craft's Family Life
Jerry Craft has two sons, Jaylen and Aren. His sons even co-wrote a book with him called The Offenders: Saving the World While Serving Detention!. Jerry Craft lives in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Awards and Recognitions
Jerry Craft has received many awards for his amazing work:
- Newbery Medal in 2020 for his graphic novel New Kid
- Glyph Awards in 2013 for Mama's Boyz as the Best Comic Strip or Webcomic
- African American Literary Awards Show Open Book Awards in 2009 and 2004
- Conversation Starter award in 2007
- American Diabetes Association Outstanding Supporter Award (twice)
- He was also nominated by the National Cartoonists Society
 | Selma Burke |
 | Pauline Powell Burns |
 | Frederick J. Brown |
 | Robert Blackburn |
