Jon Scieszka ( :) (born September 8, 1954) is an American children's writer, best known for

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

s created with the

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complic ...

Lane Smith Walter Lane Smith III (April 29, 1936 – June 13, 2005) was an American actor. His well-known roles included newspaper editor Perry White in the ABC series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', Walter Warner in ''Son in Law'', coll ...

. He is also a nationally recognized reading advocate, and the founder of

Guys Read Guys Read is a web-based literacy program for boys founded by author Jon Scieszka in 2001. Its mission is "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers" by bringing attention to the issue, promoting the expansion of what is called "readi ...

– a web-based literacy program for boys whose mission is "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers." Scieszka was the first U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, appointed by the

Librarian of Congress The Librarian of Congress is the head of the Library of Congress, appointed by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, for a term of ten years. In addition to overseeing the library, the Libra ...

for calendar years 2008 and 2009. His ''

Time Warp Trio ''Time Warp Trio'' is an animated television series based on the children's book series of the same name. Created by Jon Scieszka, the series was produced by WGBH Boston in association with Soup2Nuts. The series aired from July 9, 2005 to July ...

'' series, which teaches kids history, has been adapted into a television show.

Personal life

Scieszka ( pl, Ścieszka, ) was born in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of ...

in 1954, the second oldest among six sons of Shirley Scieszka, and Louis Scieszka, a former

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

principal. He attended Culver Military Academy in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

for high school, Albion College in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

where he studied English and pre-med. for his B.A., and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

for a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts ...

in fiction writing. Scieszka currently lives in

Park Slope, Brooklyn A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

with his wife, an interior designer. His children live in the neighborhood as well. After graduating, Scieszka worked in a variety of capacities: teaching at an elementary school (mostly second grade), writing for magazines, and painting apartments.

Professional life

While pursuing his MFA at Columbia in New York, Scieszka painted apartments. He went on to teach 1st-8th grade at the Day School (currently the Trevor Day School) for ten years. After that, he started writing and touring full-time, which he still does today. According to Scieszka, he writes books because he "loves to make kids laugh." Most of his best-known works were written in conjunction with illustrator Lane Smith. Among their collaborations are '' The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'', '' The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'' and ''

Math Curse ''Math Curse'' is a children's picture book written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. Published in 1995 through Viking Press, the book tells the story of a student who is cursed by the manner in which mathematics is connected to e ...

''. He is also the author of the ''

'' series, for which Smith illustrated eight of the sixteen books. The series has been made into a television show. The design of many Scieszka and Smith collaborations, including ''Stinky Cheese Man'', is attributed to

Molly Leach Molly Leach (born October 4, 1960) is an American graphic designer best known for her award-winning children's books. Early career Molly Leach began her career in 1982 as a designer at '' Sport'' magazine and later designed special issues and a ...

, Smith's wife. Scieszka is also the founder of

, a web-based literacy program for boys whose mission is "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers." He founded the nonprofit in response to his experiences as an elementary school teacher and the United States

National Assessment of Educational Progress The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in various subjects. NAEP is a congressionally mandated project administered by the ...

statistics showing boys consistently scoring worse than girls on federal reading tests every year, at every grade level. In 2008 Scieszka was named the nation's first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the

. During his two years as Ambassador, it was his job to raise "national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education and the development and betterment of the lives of young people."National Ambassador for Young People's Literature"

bout Bout can mean: People *Viktor Bout, suspected arms dealer *Jan Everts Bout, early settler to New Netherland *Marcel Bout Musical instruments * The outward-facing round parts of the body shape of violins, guitars, and other stringed instrumen ...

Read.gov. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2015-10-30. For Scieszka, this meant traveling to schools, libraries, and book-related conferences to speak about engaging kids in reading through choice, an expanded definition of reading, positive role models, and embracing new technologies. He has joked that being an ambassador gets him out of parking tickets.

Books

Scieszka has written and edited many books for various publishers.

Picture books

* '' The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'', illustrated by

- Harper & Row - 1989 * ''

The Frog Prince, Continued ''The Frog Prince, Continued'' () by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Steve Johnson, is a picture book parody "sequel" to the tale of The Frog Prince, in which a princess kisses a frog which then turns into a prince. It was first published in ...

'', illustrated by Steven Johnson - Viking Press - 1991 * '' The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' - Viking Press - 1992 * ''The Book That Jack Wrote'', illustrated by Dan Adel - Viking Press - 1994 (out of print) * ''

'', illustrated by Lane Smith - Viking Press - 1995 * ''

Squids Will Be Squids ''Squids Will Be Squids'' is a children's picture book written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. It was published in 1998 by Viking Press. Reception Roger Sutton, of ''Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in ...

'', illustrated by Lane Smith - Viking Press - 1998 * '' Baloney, (Henry P.)'', illustrated by Lane Smith - Viking Press - 2001 * ''

Science Verse ''Science Verse'' is a 2004 children's picture book written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. It won the Picture Book prize in the 2005 Golden Duck Awards. The book, published by Viking Press, is a follow-up to '' Math Curse'' Pl ...

'', illustrated by Lane Smith - Viking Press - 2004 * ''

Seen Art? ''Seen Art?'' is a children's picture book written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. It was published in 2005 by Viking Press and Penguin Random House LLC, in cooperation with the Museum of Modern Art. It is aimed at a reading age ...

'', illustrated by Lane Smith - Viking Press- 2005 * ''Cowboy and Octopus'', illustrated by Lane Smith - Viking Press - 2007 * ''Walt Disney’s Alice In Wonderland'', illustrated by

Mary Blair Mary Blair (born Mary Browne Robinson; October 21, 1911 – July 26, 1978) was an American artist, animator, and designer. She was prominent in producing art and animation for The Walt Disney Company, drawing concept art for such films as ''A ...

- Disney Press - 2008 * ''Robot Zot'', illustrated by

David Shannon David Shannon (born October 5, 1959) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. Shannon grew up in Spokane, Washington. He graduated from the Art Center College of Design and now lives in Los Angeles. In 1998 he won the Caldeco ...

- Simon & Schuster - 2009

Series

The Time Warp Trio

:''Also see

The Time Warp Trio ''The Time Warp Trio'' is a children's book series written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith and Adam McCauley, which describes the adventures of three boys – Joe, Sam, and Fred – who travel through time and space with the aid o ...

'' The ''Time Warp Trio'' books are illustrated middle grade novels about three boys, Sam, Joe, and Fred, who travel through time and space with a magical book. The early books were illustrated by Lane Smith, and later ones by Adam McCauley. They are published by

Viking Press Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquir ...

. * ''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 - 2001 * ''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 - 2005 Jon Scieszka - Time Warp Trio Lyrics

Trucktown

Scieszka was inspired to create the Trucktown series because he "really wanted to write something for all of those crazy little guys who didn’t think there was something out there for them to read." The Trucktown characters and backgrounds were created by the team of

, Loren Long, and David Gordon. The over fifty-book Trucktown program includes picture books, "Ready-to-Roll" early reader books, board books, and a variety of activity books. They are published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. Picture Books: * ''Smash! Crash!'' - 2008 * ''Melvin Might?'' - 2008 * ''Truckery Rhymes'' - 2009 Ready-to-Roll: * ''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 multi-platform story, told through four books, multiple websites, integrated blogs, social media sites, videos, ads, and user-created content. The story reveals how three aliens from the planet Spaceheadz disguise themselves as 5th graders in Brooklyn in order to sign up 3.14 million and 1 Earthlings to be Spaceheadz and save Earth. The extensive online storytelling is managed by Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg. The books are illustrated by DreamWorks animator Shane Prigmore, and published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. * ''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 middle grade (3-7) novels about a kid-genius scientist and inventor named Frank Einstein. * ''Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor'', illustrated by Brian Biggs - Abrams/Amulet, 2014 * ''Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger'', illustrated by Brian Biggs - Abrams, 2015 * ''Frank Einstein and the BrainTurbo'', illustrated by Brian Biggs - Abrams, 2015 * ''Frank Einstein and the EvoBlaster Belt'', illustrated by Brian Biggs - Abrams, (forthcoming September 2016) * ''Frank Einstein and the Bio-Action Gizmo'', illustrated by Brian Biggs - Abrams, 2017 * ''Frank Einstein and the Space-Time Zipper'', illustrated by Brian Biggs - Abrams, 2018

Memoir/novel

* ''Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories of Growing Up,'' Scieszka - Viking Press - 2008

Contributor

* '' Guys Write for Guys Read'', "Brothers" - Viking - 2005 * Puffin Classics edition of ''

Swiss Family Robinson ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'') is a novel by Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Australia, goes off course and is shipwr ...

'', "Introduction" - Puffin Classics - 2009 * ''Half-Minute Horrors'', "Whispers" - HarperCollins - 2009 * ''

: Funny Business'', "Your Question for Author Here," with Kate DiCamillo - Walden Pond Press - 2010 * ''The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales'', "Under The Rug," illustrated by

Chris Van Allsburg Chris Van Allsburg (born June 18, 1949) is an American illustrator and writer of children's books. He has won two Caldecott Medals for U.S. picture book illustration, for ''Jumanji'' (1981) and ''The Polar Express'' (1985), both of which he al ...

- Houghton Mifflin - 2011

Editor

* ''Guys Write for Guys Read'' - Viking Press - 2005 * ''Guys Read: Funny Business'', contributors: Mac Barnett, Patrick Carman,

Christopher Paul Curtis Christopher Paul Curtis (born May 10, 1953)Judy Levin, Allison Stark Draper, ''Christopher Paul Curtis'' (The Rosen Publishing Group, 2005), , p. 84. Excerptsat Google Books. Retrieved 2015-07-25. is an American children's book author. His f ...

, Kate DiCamillo, Paul Feig,

Jack Gantos Jack Gantos (born July 2, 1951) is an American author of children's books. He is best known for the fictional characters Rotten Ralph and Joey Pigza. Rotten Ralph is a cat who stars in twenty picture books written by Gantos and illustrated by ...

Jeff Kinney Jeffrey Patrick Kinney (born February 19, 1971) is an American author and cartoonist, best known for the children's book series ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid''. He also created the child-oriented website '' Poptropica''. Early life Jeff Kinney was bor ...

, David Lubar,

Adam Rex Adam Michael Rex (born May 16, 1973) is an American illustrator and author of children's books from Tucson, Arizona. Career Adam Rex received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Arizona. He has contributed illustrations to '' Magic: ...

- Walden Pond Press - 2010 * ''Guys Read: Thriller'', contributors:

M.T. Anderson Matthew Tobin Anderson (born November 4, 1968), is an American writer of children's books that range from picture books to young adult fiction, young adult novels. He won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2006 for ''The Pox ...

, Gennifer Choldenko, Matt de la Peña, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Bruce Hale, Jarrett J. Krosoczka,

Anthony Horowitz Anthony John Horowitz, (born 5 April 1955) is an English novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense. His works for children and young adult readers include ''The Diamond Brothers'' series, the '' Alex Rider'' series, and '' ...

, Walter Dean Myers - Walden Pond Press - 2011 * ''Guys Read: Sports Pages'', contributors: Dustin Brown, James Brown,

Joseph Bruchac Joseph Bruchac (born October 16, 1942) is an American writer and storyteller based in New York. He writes about Indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a particular focus on northeastern Native American and Anglo-American lives and folklore. He ...

Chris Crutcher Chris Crutcher (born July 17, 1946) is an American novelist and a family therapist. He received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2000 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens. Biography Crutcher w ...

, Tim Green,

Dan Gutman Dan Gutman (born October 19, 1955) is an American writer, primarily of children's fiction. His works include the '' Baseball Card Adventures'' children's book series that began with '' Honus & Me'', and the '' My Weird School'' series. Early li ...

Gordon Korman Gordon Korman (born October 23, 1963) is a Canadian American author. Korman has written 100 children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four decades and have appe ...

, Chris Rylander,

Anne Ursu Anne Ursu is an American novelist and children's writer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Biography She attended Brown University. Ursu's first novel, ''Spilling Clarence'', is about a drug that wafts through the air of a small Minnesota town. T ...

, Jacqueline Woodson, with illustrations by Dan Santat - Walden Pond Press - 2012 *''Guys Read: Other Worlds'', contributors: Rick Riordan,

Tom Angleberger Tom Angleberger is an American children's writer, best known for the ''Origami Yoda'' series. As of March 2013, more than 3.3 million copies of his books had been sold worldwide. Angleberger lives in Virginia with his wife, Cece Bell, who is al ...

D. J. MacHale Donald James MacHale (born March 11, 1955) is an American writer, director, and executive producer. He has been affiliated with shows such as ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'', ''Flight 29 Down'' and ''Seasonal Differences''. MacHale is also the au ...

, Rebecca Stead,

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and ...

Shaun Tan Shaun Tan (born 1973) is an Australian artist, writer and film maker. He won an Academy Award for '' The Lost Thing'', a 2011 animated film adaptation of a 2000 picture book he wrote and illustrated. Other books he has written and illustrated inc ...

, Neal Shusterman,

Shannon Hale Shannon may refer to: People * Shannon (given name) * Shannon (surname) * Shannon (American singer), stage name of singer Shannon Brenda Greene (born 1958) * Shannon (South Korean singer), British-South Korean singer and actress Shannon Arrum Wil ...

Kenneth Oppel Kenneth Oppel (born August 31, 1967) is a Canadian children's writer. Biography Oppel was born in Port Alberni, and spent his childhood in Victoria, British Columbia and Halifax, Nova Scotia. He also lived in Newfoundland and Labrador, Engla ...

, Eric S. Nylund, with illustrated by Greg Ruth - 2013 *''Guys Read: True Stories'', contributors: Jim Murphy,

Elizabeth Partridge Elizabeth Partridge (born September 1, 1951) is an American writer, the author of more than a dozen books from young-adult nonfiction to picture books to photography books. Her books include ''Marching for Freedom'' (2009, Viking), as well the b ...

, Nathan Hale, James Sturm,

Candace Fleming Candace Groth Fleming (born May 24, 1962) is an American writer of children's books, both fiction and non-fiction. She is the author of more than twenty books for children and young adults, including the ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize-honored ' ...

, Douglas Florian, Sy Montgomery, Steve Sheinkin, T. Edward Nickens, Thanhha Lai - 2014 *''Guys Read: Terrifying Tales'', contributors: Adam Gidwitz,

R.L. Stine Robert Lawrence Stine (; born October 8, 1943), sometimes known as Jovial Bob Stine and Eric Affabee, is an American novelist, short story writer, television producer, screenwriter, and executive editor. Stine has been referred to as the "St ...

Dav Pilkey David "Dav" Murray Pilkey Jr. (; born March 4, 1966) is an American cartoonist, author, and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known as the author and illustrator of the children's book series, ''Captain Underpants'', and the chil ...

, Michael Buckley, Claire Legrand, Nikki Loftin, Adele Griffin, Kelly Barnhill, Lisa Brown, Daniel José Older, Rita Williams-Garcia, with illustrations by

Gris Grimly Steven Soenksen (born 1975), better known under his pen name Gris Grimly, is an American illustrator and author who mostly writes darkly whimsical children's books. Originally from Nebraska, he spent many years living and working in the Los Angel ...

- 2015 *''Guys Read: Heroes & Villains'', contributors: Christopher Healy,

Sharon Creech Sharon Creech (born July 29, 1945) is an American writer of children's novels. She was the first American winner of the Carnegie Medal for British children's books and the first person to win both the American Newbery Medal and the British C ...

, Cathy Camper, Laurie Halse Anderson, Ingrid Law,

Deborah Hopkinson Deborah Hopkinson is an American writer of children's books, primarily historical fiction, nonfiction and picture books. She was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. Selected books *''Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt'' (1993) *''Maria's Comet'' (19 ...

, Pam Muñoz Ryan,

Eugene Yelchin Eugene Yelchin (born Yevgeny Arkadievich Yelchin, , born October 18, 1956) is a Russian-American artist best known as an illustrator and writer of books for children. His novel '' Breaking Stalin's Nose'' was awarded a Newbery Honor in 2012. '' ...

Lemony Snicket Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American author Daniel Handler (born February 28, 1970). Handler has published several children's books under the name, most notably ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', which has sold over 60 million copies and s ...

- 2017

Awards and recognition

Scieszka was named the first U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

for 2008–2009. He received the annual University of Southern Mississippi Medallion for lifetime contribution to children's literature in 2013. Two children's books written by Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith were ranked among the 100 best all-time picture books in a 2012 survey published by ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'': ''The True Story of the Three Little Pigs'', number 35, and ''The Stinky Cheese Man'', 91. Scieszka's books have received many awards and other recognitions, including: * 1989: ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'', Best Books of the Year citation, ''The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'' * 1989:

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

, Notable Children's Book citation, ''The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'' * 1989: Maryland Black-eyed Susan Picture Book Award, ''The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'' * 1989: Parenting Reading Magic Award, ''The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'' * 1992: ''The New York Times Book Review'', Best Illustrated Books of the Year citation, ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' * 1992: ''

'' Best Books of the Year citation, ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' * 1992: ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'', Children's Editors' Top-of-the-List citation, ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' * 1992: American Library Association, Notable Children's Book citation, ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' * 1994: Rhode Island Children's Book Award, ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' * 1995: Best Children's Book citation, ''Math Curse'' * 1995: ''Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books'', Blue Ribbon citation, ''Math Curse'' * 1995: ''Booklist'', Top-of-the-List and Editors' Choice citations, ''Math Curse'' * 1995: ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', Best Children's Book, ''Math Curse'' * 1996: American Library Association,

Best Books for Young Adults The American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults, previously known as Best Books for Young Adults (1966–2010), is a recommendation list of books presented yearly by the YALSA division (Young Adult Library Services Association Th ...

citation, ''Math Curse'' * 1997: Golden Archer Award, ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' * 1997: Maine's Student Book Award, ''Math Curse'' * 1997: Texas Bluebonnet Award, ''Math Curse'' * 1997: New Hampshire The Great Stone Face Book Award, ''Math Curse'' * 1999:

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stud ...

, Kids' Top 100 Books, ''The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'' * 2001: ''Los Angeles Times Book Review'', Best Books of the Year citation, ''Baloney, (Henry P.)'' * 2001: Reading Magic Award, ''Parenting'' magazine, ''Baloney, (Henry P.)'' * 2001: ''The New York Times Book Review'', Notable Books, ''Baloney, (Henry P.)'' * 2001: Reading Magic Awards, ''Parenting'' magazine ''Baloney, (Henry P.)'' * 2002: Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts, ''Baloney, (Henry P.)'' * 2002: Golden Duck Awards for Excellence in Children's Science Fiction Literature, ''Baloney, (Henry P.)'' * 2004: Parent's Choice Award, Gold, Non-Fiction, ''Science Verse'' * 2005: American Library Association, Notable Children's Book Award, ''Science Verse'' * 2005: Golden Duck Awards for Excellence in Children's Science Fiction Literature, ''Science Verse'' * 2009: Bank Street Best Books of the Year, ''Robot Zot'' * 2009: Irma S. Black Award, Honor Book, ''Robot Zot'' * 2009: ''The New York Times Book Review'', Bestseller, ''Robot Zot''

On writing

In his autobiography, ''Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka'', he writes that his inspiration for much of his work comes from the "strange things" that happened to him while growing up with his brothers. Scieszka creates outlines for the books of his ''Time Warp Trio'' series for structural reasons. When writing other books, however, he says, "Anything goes. Middle first, sometimes end, sometimes title, sometimes punchline.""Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast"
interview. Posted November 6, 2007.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scieszka, Jon 1954 births Living people American children's writers American people of Polish descent Albion College alumni Culver Academies alumni Writers from Flint, Michigan Reading skill advocates Columbia University School of the Arts alumni