*He's hilarious!
*He's nice!
*He's the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature!
*He created Guys Read!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
We Love Jon Scieszka because...
*He's hilarious!
*He's nice!
*He's the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature!
*He created Guys Read!
Squids will be Squids Review
Jon Scieszka's love of fables comes alive in "Squids will be Squids: Fresh Morals-Beastly Fables." Each page is a zany new take on a fable with an appropriate or random moral attached. Lane Smith, as usual, makes Scieszka's stories come alive with his amazingly drawn characters. Not only does the book have odd-ball humor that kids will get a big kick out of, Scieszka interacts with his readers within the book's format. At the beginning he outlines what a fable is and why they were created, in his classic smart alec tone. Scieszka instructs the readers to come up with their own moral to the last fable in the book. He ends with a suggestion for the reader to go write their own fables and a little blurb about Aesop. This guy really knows how to engage his readers. This book not only inspires readers to create, a friend of mine wrote a song based on his Shark Wasp and Bacteria fable. If only the song was in digital format there'd be a link to it right here. But alas, you will have to imagine it. Or even better, go make one of your own.
Science Verse
In the vein of Math Curse, Jon Scieszka has created another witty book, exposing children to school subjects in a fresh way! Written in verse, this book chronicles a day in the life of a boy who begins thinking about science as a poem. Everything is rhyming in his mind as he thinks about the food chain, dinosaurs, parasites and much much more.
Once again I am blown away with Sieszka's approach to science. His funny poetry is complimented perfectly by Lane Smith's vibrant and active illustrations. It ends with what I can only hope is a trailer for another book "DO NOT think of this as a little art project. Your art project must be your whole life." Let's hope Art Disperse is coming out soon!
Math Curse
Who knew that we are surrounded by math?
One morning Mr. Fibonacci, the math teacher, says "YOU KNOW, you can think of almost everything as a math problem." A girl wakes up the next morning to find her life is one big math problem. As she takes out the milk for her cereal she wonders " How many quarts in a gallon? How many pints in a quart? How many inches in a foot? How many feet in a yard? How many yards in my neighborhood? How many inches in a pint? How many feet in my shoes?" She has fallen into the math curse. Read this book to see how her math-filled day turns out and see how she breaks the curse.
Math Curse written Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. Viking Press:1995.
Time Warp Trio Series
How did 3 Boys from Brooklyn end up battling Gladiators, hanging out with Thomas Edison and walking around in the year 2095 with their great-granddaughters? It's all because of "The Book." Joe got it as a gift from his magician uncle. They don't know how it works but every so often green time warping mist comes out of the book and they are transported to another time and space. Join Joe, Fred and Sam through 16 books as they discover new things while trying find out how the heck to get home! Hopefully one day they'll even figure out how that darn book works!
All books written by Jon Scieszka
1. Knights of the Kitchen Table (1991)
2. The Not-So-Jolly Roger (1991)
3. The Good, The Bad, and The Goofy (1992)
4. Your Mother Was a Neanderthal (1993)
5. 2095 (1995)
6. Tut, Tut (1996)
7. Summer Reading Is Killing Me! (1998)
8. It's All Greek to Me (1999)
9. See You Later, Gladiator (2000)
10. Sam Samurai (2001)
11. Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Bridge? (2002)
12. Viking It and Liking It (2002)
13. Me Oh Maya (2003)
14. Da Wild, Da Crazy, Da Vinci (2004)
15. Oh Say, I Can't See (2005)
16. Marco? Polo! (2006)
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Fairy Tales
This set of fractured fairy tales will leave your rolling with laughter. Jack (the character formally known from Jack and the bean stock)takes you through this jumbled mess of stories. He has to deal with a stinky cheese man who thinks everyone wants to eat him (when really they are trying to get away from his bad smell), little red running shorts who doesn't want any part of the story because Jack blurt out the ending and a whole list of colorful characters. Check it out and you'll find what is really falling from the sky!
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by John Scieszka illustrations by Lane Smith. Viking:1992.
The Frog Prince Continued...
What happens when things don't go as planned? Do people really live happily, ever after? Can the Frog Prince act like a prince again? Find out in this tale that happens after the happily, ever after by Jon Scieszka.
Seen Art?
If you have ever wondered what art is, this is the book for you! Go on adventure through the Museum of Modern Art in NYC to find Art!
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Maybe the wolf wasn't so bad after all...This book tells his story. He just wanted to make a cake for his grand-ma, but he didn't have any sugar, so he went to borrow some from the pigs. He had a cold though, so he accidentally leveled the houses of the little pigs. He didn't want to waste food, so he ate some pigs. This website has some interesting lesson ideas: http://www.nancypolette.com/LitGuidesText/truestorypigs.htm .
Scieszka, J. (1989) The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Penguin Books: New York.
Guys Read
In 2001, Jon Scieszka launched Guys Read, a web-based literacy program. The mission of Guys Read is to "motivate boys to read by connecting them with materials they will want to read, in ways they like to read."
Why is this necessary? Boys are behind girls in terms of literacy and reading scores. They are less likely to be caught reading for pleasure, which impacts their academic achievement. Boys have consistently had lower reading scores than girls for the past 30 years boys. Boys are 2/3 of the special education population in high school. Their enrollment in college now lower than girls, as well.
John Scieszka aims to change the way guys relate to reading. The lack of motivation to read could be coming from a number of factors: many books don’t appeal to boys, many fiction books explore emotions and feelings that boys may feel uncomfortable with because society teaches boys to suppress feelings, there aren’t many male role models for literacy. As a result, boys tend to think of reading as a feminine activity.
These issues are being tackled at Guys Read in a very kid and guy friendly manner. At the website, www.guysread.com, you’ll find a multitude of ways to connect boys with reading. There are lists of books suggested for elementary, middle school and high school guys.
Often kids will find a book they like and get really excited. However, then they won’t know what to read next. Guys read can help them out! There is also a neat book search option. A reader types in his or her favorite book, author, and book subject into a box. Then a list of other books with similarities appear. This is such a great feature.
There is a list of male authors, illustrators, and comic strips that have websites. This is a great way for boys find out more about the authors they like or expose boys to new authors. They aren’t all authors of literature. For example, Dave Barry is on the list. This is also part of what the mission is about. Expanding what ‘reading’ includes: websites count, comic strips count, humor count. It doesn’t matter what someone starts reading, just read and have fun doing it. And now there is an anthology called Guys Write for Guys Read. In this collection, male authors talk about what they like to read and how they became writers.
Anyone can start a Guys Read section on any bookshelf. There is Guys Read paraphernalia including: posters, bookmarks, and sticker that can be downloaded for free. Personally, I would love to see those stickers and posters outside of libraries, bookstores, and schools. Why not put the posters up in the laundry mat, on the subway and in the café?!
And boy am I glad that Guys Read isn’t a secret club for boys only! It’s been a great help in expanding my reading list.
Why is this necessary? Boys are behind girls in terms of literacy and reading scores. They are less likely to be caught reading for pleasure, which impacts their academic achievement. Boys have consistently had lower reading scores than girls for the past 30 years boys. Boys are 2/3 of the special education population in high school. Their enrollment in college now lower than girls, as well.
John Scieszka aims to change the way guys relate to reading. The lack of motivation to read could be coming from a number of factors: many books don’t appeal to boys, many fiction books explore emotions and feelings that boys may feel uncomfortable with because society teaches boys to suppress feelings, there aren’t many male role models for literacy. As a result, boys tend to think of reading as a feminine activity.
These issues are being tackled at Guys Read in a very kid and guy friendly manner. At the website, www.guysread.com, you’ll find a multitude of ways to connect boys with reading. There are lists of books suggested for elementary, middle school and high school guys.
Often kids will find a book they like and get really excited. However, then they won’t know what to read next. Guys read can help them out! There is also a neat book search option. A reader types in his or her favorite book, author, and book subject into a box. Then a list of other books with similarities appear. This is such a great feature.
There is a list of male authors, illustrators, and comic strips that have websites. This is a great way for boys find out more about the authors they like or expose boys to new authors. They aren’t all authors of literature. For example, Dave Barry is on the list. This is also part of what the mission is about. Expanding what ‘reading’ includes: websites count, comic strips count, humor count. It doesn’t matter what someone starts reading, just read and have fun doing it. And now there is an anthology called Guys Write for Guys Read. In this collection, male authors talk about what they like to read and how they became writers.
Anyone can start a Guys Read section on any bookshelf. There is Guys Read paraphernalia including: posters, bookmarks, and sticker that can be downloaded for free. Personally, I would love to see those stickers and posters outside of libraries, bookstores, and schools. Why not put the posters up in the laundry mat, on the subway and in the café?!
And boy am I glad that Guys Read isn’t a secret club for boys only! It’s been a great help in expanding my reading list.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Personal Thoughts on First National Ambassador Position
The Library of Congress's James H. Billings called Jon an evangelist for reading. I think that they chose an author that has a vested interest in children reading. In 2002, Jon started Guys Read to encourage boys to find books that they like, rather than reading only what is considered to be fine literature by older people. Reading something is better than not reading at all.
So far, the Ambassador title has had a lot of press. Jon was featured in newspapers across the country when he received the nomination. Most of this attention was from adults. Now, he is just beginning to decide how this position will affect children. He has said that he wants to work more with reluctant readers-boys and girls. I think that the initiative and interest he showed when creating Guys Read will be handy in creating new ways to reach his reluctant reader audience. Hopefully, he will also have time to work with the children that love reading as well.
So far, the Ambassador title has had a lot of press. Jon was featured in newspapers across the country when he received the nomination. Most of this attention was from adults. Now, he is just beginning to decide how this position will affect children. He has said that he wants to work more with reluctant readers-boys and girls. I think that the initiative and interest he showed when creating Guys Read will be handy in creating new ways to reach his reluctant reader audience. Hopefully, he will also have time to work with the children that love reading as well.
Selection Criteria for Ambassador position
SELECTION CRITERIA TO BE APPLIED BY THE SELECTION COMMITTEE
1. Author or illustrator of fiction or non-fiction books
2. U.S. citizen, living in the U.S.
3. Excellent and facile communicator
4. Dynamic and engaging personality
5. Known ability to relate to children; communicates well and regularly with them
6. Someone who has made a substantial contribution to young people's literature
7. Stature; someone who is revered by children and who has earned the respect and admiration of his or her peers
1. Author or illustrator of fiction or non-fiction books
2. U.S. citizen, living in the U.S.
3. Excellent and facile communicator
4. Dynamic and engaging personality
5. Known ability to relate to children; communicates well and regularly with them
6. Someone who has made a substantial contribution to young people's literature
7. Stature; someone who is revered by children and who has earned the respect and admiration of his or her peers
First National Ambassador to Young People's Literature
According to the Children's Book Council, "the position was created 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." This is the first award of its kind awarded in the United States. Although a children's poet laureate was also awarded for the first time this year to Jack Prelutsky.
Jon was chosen because:
“Jon is someone who can talk to a room full of kids and make them giggle, he can talk to a room full of parents and have them hanging on every word, and he can talk to a room full of educators and have them taking notes,” according to Robin Adelson, the CBC’s executive director.
Jon has published many best-selling titles in the forms of picture books and easy readers. His Time Warp Trio series has been made into a television show. The Time Warp Trio books and television series are supposed to get children interested in history.
“My plan is to really help people identify kids who are reluctant readers and provide concrete things for them to do,” says Scieszka. “People don’t realize the great stuff we have out there. We just have to find a way to get it to them.”
Scieszka also hopes to expand the general definition of reading in this country. “Nonfiction, humor, online, magazines—it all counts!” He’d like people to “stop demonizing TV and online as the enemy,” saying that kids can and should be able to do both. “Reading will give them something those platforms can’t. And it would be nice to have more weight behind me to tell a teacher ‘Let the kid read Captain Underpants!’ ”
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Biography of Jon Scieszka
Jon Scieszka was born on September 8, 1954 in Flint, Michigan. He is the second oldest of six boys. He calls himself the "nicest" of the group.
went to school at Culver Military Academy in Indiana, Albion College in Michigan, and Columbia University, New York, where he got a M.F.A. in fiction.
Before Jon became a full-time writer he worked as a lifeguard, painted factories, houses, and apartments, wrote for magazines, and taught elementary school in New York for ten years as a 1st grade assistant, a 2nd grade homeroom teacher, and a computer, math, science and history teacher in 3rd -8th grade.
In 2002, Scieszka founded the Guys Read literacy program to "help boys become better readers, better students, better guys."
Now he's married, has two kids and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
His favorite things to read are fairytales, myths, legends, comic books, graphic novels, history, poems, novels, science books, picture books, short stories, newspapers, funny bits, codes, hieroglyphics, encyclopedias, dictionaries, subway ads, sides of cereal boxes, matchbook covers, mattress tags, and any little scraps of paper with writing on them.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Links to interviews that you can hear online!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Introduction
Welcome! This blog is an ode to Jon Scieszka. We love him, we adore hime, and we think he is hilarious. You should too! He is an important guy-not just because he is funny or cute either! He brought fractured fairy-tales to mainstream literatue. He promotes reading for both guys and reluctant readers. He can now be called Mr. Ambassador for Young People's Literature. So, peruse this blog, look around, and find out about Jon and his books. Have fun!
P.S. We included videos and interviews with Jon!
P.S. We included videos and interviews with Jon!
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