Jon Scieszka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jon Scieszka
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Scieszka in 2008
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| Born | September 8, 1954 Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | Albion College Columbia University |
| Genre | Children's books |
| Notable awards | National Ambassador for Young People's Literature 2008–2009 |
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Jon Scieszka (pronounced SHESH-kuh; born September 8, 1954) is a famous American writer of children's books. He is especially known for the funny picture books he created with the illustrator Lane Smith. Jon Scieszka is also a big supporter of reading for kids. He started a program called Guys Read, which helps boys become excited about reading for life.
He was the very first U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. This important job was given to him by the Librarian of Congress for 2008 and 2009. His popular book series, Time Warp Trio, which teaches kids about history, was even turned into a TV show!
About Jon Scieszka
Early Life and Education
Jon Scieszka was born in Flint, Michigan, on September 8, 1954. He was one of six sons. His mother was a nurse, and his father was an elementary school principal. For high school, he went to Culver Military Academy in Indiana.
Later, he studied English and medical science at Albion College in Michigan. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1979. In 1980, he received a master's degree in writing from Columbia University in New York.
After college, Jon Scieszka worked in different jobs. He taught second grade at an elementary school. He also wrote for magazines and even painted apartments. Today, he lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with his wife and children.
Why He Writes Books
Jon Scieszka says he writes books because he "loves to make kids laugh." Many of his most famous books were created with illustrator Lane Smith. Their collaborations include The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!, and Math Curse.
He also wrote the Time Warp Trio series. Lane Smith illustrated eight of the sixteen books in this series. As mentioned, this series was also made into a TV show.
Helping Boys Read with Guys Read
Jon Scieszka is the founder of Guys Read. This is a program that helps boys become motivated, lifelong readers. He started this group because he noticed that boys often scored lower than girls on reading tests. He wanted to make sure there were exciting books for all boys to enjoy.
National Ambassador for Young People's Literature
In 2008, Jon Scieszka became the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. For two years, his job was to show how important reading is for young people. He traveled to schools, libraries, and book events. He talked about how kids can get excited about reading. He encouraged kids to choose books they like and to see reading in many forms, including new technologies.
Books by Jon Scieszka
Jon Scieszka has written and edited many books for different publishers.
Picture Books
- The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!, illustrated by Lane Smith - 1989
- The Frog Prince, Continued, illustrated by Steven Johnson - 1991
- The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, illustrated by Lane Smith - 1992
- The Book That Jack Wrote, illustrated by Dan Adel - 1994
- Math Curse, illustrated by Lane Smith - 1995
- Squids Will Be Squids, illustrated by Lane Smith - 1998
- Baloney, (Henry P.), illustrated by Lane Smith - 2001
- Science Verse, illustrated by Lane Smith - 2004
- Seen Art?, illustrated by Lane Smith - 2005
- Cowboy and Octopus, illustrated by Lane Smith - 2007
- Walt Disney’s Alice In Wonderland, illustrated by Mary Blair - 2008
- Robot Zot, illustrated by David Shannon - 2009
Book Series
The Time Warp Trio
The Time Warp Trio books are novels for middle schoolers. They are about three boys, Sam, Joe, and Fred. They travel through time and space using a magical book. Lane Smith illustrated the early books, and Adam McCauley illustrated the later ones.
- Knights of the Kitchen Table, illustrated by Lane Smith - 1991
- The Not-So-Jolly Roger, illustrated by Lane Smith - 1991
- The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy, illustrated by Lane Smith - 1992
- Your Mother Was a Neanderthal, illustrated by Lane Smith - 1993
- 2095, illustrated by Lane Smith - 1995
- Tut, Tut, illustrated by Lane Smith - 1996
- Summer Reading Is Killing Me!, illustrated by Lane Smith - 1998
- It's All Greek to Me, illustrated by Lane Smith - 1999
- See You Later, Gladiator, illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2000
- Sam Samurai, illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2001
- Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Bridge?, illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2002
- Viking It and Liking It, illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2002
- Me Oh Maya!, illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2003
- Da Wild, Da Crazy, Da Vinci, illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2004
- Oh Say, I Can't See, illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2005
- Marco? Polo!, illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2006
Trucktown
Jon Scieszka created the Trucktown series because he wanted to write books for "crazy little guys" who thought there wasn't anything for them to read. The characters and backgrounds for Trucktown were created by David Shannon, Loren Long, and David Gordon. This series has over fifty books, including picture books, early reader books, and activity books. A TV show based on Trucktown started in Canada in 2014.
- Picture Books:*
- Smash! Crash! - 2008
- Melvin Might? - 2008
- Truckery Rhymes - 2009
- Ready-to-Roll Books:*
- Snow Trucking! - 2008
- Pete's Party - 2008
- Uh-Oh Max - 2008
- Zoom! Boom! Bully - 2009
- Melvin's Valentine - 2009
- The Spooky Tire - 2009
- Kat's Mystery Gift - 2009
- Trucksgiving - 2010
- Dizzy Izzy - 2010
- Trucks Line Up - 2011
Spaceheadz
Spaceheadz is a unique story told across four books and many online platforms. It's about three aliens from the planet Spaceheadz who pretend to be 5th graders in Brooklyn. Their mission is to get over 3 million Earthlings to become Spaceheadz to save Earth. The books are illustrated by DreamWorks animator Shane Prigmore.
- Spaceheadz Book #1!, illustrated by Shane Prigamore with Francesco Sedita - 2010
- Spaceheadz Book #2!, illustrated by Shane Prigamore with Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg - 2010
- Spaceheadz Book #3!, illustrated by Shane Prigamore with Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg - 2011
- Spaceheadz Book #4!, illustrated by Shane Prigamore with Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg - 2013
Frank Einstein
The Frank Einstein books are illustrated novels for middle schoolers (grades 3-7). They follow a super-smart kid scientist and inventor named Frank Einstein.
- Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor, illustrated by Brian Biggs - 2014
- Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger, illustrated by Brian Biggs - 2015
- Frank Einstein and the BrainTurbo, illustrated by Brian Biggs - 2015
- Frank Einstein and the EvoBlaster Belt, illustrated by Brian Biggs - 2016
- Frank Einstein and the Bio-Action Gizmo, illustrated by Brian Biggs - 2017
- Frank Einstein and the Space-Time Zipper, illustrated by Brian Biggs - 2018
Memoir
- Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories of Growing Up, Scieszka - 2008
Books He Contributed To
- Guys Write for Guys Read, "Brothers" - 2005
- Puffin Classics edition of Swiss Family Robinson, "Introduction" - 2009
- Half-Minute Horrors, "Whispers" - 2009
- Guys Read: Funny Business, "Your Question for Author Here," with Kate DiCamillo - 2010
- The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales, "Under The Rug," illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg - 2011
Books He Edited
Jon Scieszka has also edited several collections of stories for the "Guys Read" series, featuring many different authors.
- Guys Write for Guys Read - 2005
- Guys Read: Funny Business - 2010
- Guys Read: Thriller - 2011
- Guys Read: Sports Pages - 2012
- Guys Read: Other Worlds - 2013
- Guys Read: True Stories - 2014
- Guys Read: Terrifying Tales - 2015
- Guys Read: Heroes & Villains - 2017
Awards and Recognition
Jon Scieszka has received many awards for his work.
- He was the first U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature (2008–2009).
- In 2013, he received the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion for his lifelong contributions to children's literature.
Two of his picture books, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheese Man, were named among the top 100 best picture books of all time in a 2012 survey by School Library Journal.
His books have also won many specific awards, including:
- The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!
- The New York Times Book Review, Best Books of the Year (1989)
- American Library Association, Notable Children's Book (1989)
- The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
- The New York Times Book Review, Best Illustrated Books of the Year (1992)
- American Library Association, Notable Children's Book (1992)
- Math Curse
- Best Children's Book citation (1995)
- Publishers Weekly, Best Children's Book (1995)
- Texas Bluebonnet Award (1997)
- Baloney, (Henry P.)
- Los Angeles Times Book Review, Best Books of the Year (2001)
- Science Verse
- Parent's Choice Award, Gold, Non-Fiction (2004)
- Robot Zot
- Bank Street Best Books of the Year (2009)
How He Writes
In his autobiography, Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka, Jon Scieszka shares that many of his ideas come from the "strange things" that happened when he was growing up with his brothers.
For his Time Warp Trio series, he creates outlines to help structure the stories. But for other books, he says he's more flexible. He might start with the middle, the end, the title, or even just a punchline!
