Jon Scieszka
Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Not author Jon Scieszka, certainly. His children's book, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, lets one A. Wolf narrate the story-with a decidedly lupine point of view. "I thought it might be interesting to have some completely unreliable narrator lying through his teeth," explains author Scieszka, a former schoolteacher. "I'm not so sure he WAS lying!" Numbers don't lie, and The True Story has sold more than 750,000 copies.
In all, Scieszka has written eight children's books, including the popular Time Warp Trio series, which features a triumvirate of school-age boys who travel through time to meet Neanderthals, Merlin, and other historical (and hysterical) figures; and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, which was a Caldecott Honor Book.
When asked how he got his start in children's books, Scieszka replied "Originally I thought more of writing for adults, or twisted college students. I moved to New York and got my master's in fiction writing from Columbia, I think intending to write the great American novel and wear tweed jackets. Then as I became a teacher and hung out with second-graders, I realized what a great format the picture book is, because kids are so sharp and visually literate...the picture book is the perfect short story."
"I taught second grade for about three years and that's a real crucial age, where kids develop a sense of humor. And they are so smart! If you can recognize that smart stuff, you realize how much they're capable of understanding. I shoot for the intelligent part, combined with that gross overlay--it's important to have giants belching and passing gas just to keep them interested. But I want to show kids they can delve into those rich areas of history and mathematics and literature. If something sticks and catches their interest, great. I take great pains to make the research accurate, hoping maybe later on they will come across it and read some historical book and think 'Wow, I ran across this guy before-he IS real!'"
"It annoys me that people look at these books and say they're over the kids' heads. When people say 'Kids won't understand this,' it's assuming that they're smarter than kids-which is not always the case. I think that's exactly what you need to do: really challenge the kids to understand."
Contributor: Donna Freedman
Reviews
2095
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
This installment of the adventures of the Time Warp Trio has Fred, Joe and Sam blasting into the future when they get bored during a class trip to the museum. They find themselves ill-prepared for the future-they don't know how to evade the Sellbot threatening them with its laser, they don't have antigravity disks, and they aren't dyed unusual colors like the other New Yorkers they find. At least Ray's Pizza is the same. How will they return to 1995? And who are those three girls who keep chasing them? Each chapter ends in a cliffhanger that will urge the most reluctant reader to forge ahead. 1995, Viking, Ages 8 to 12, $11.99. Reviewer: Dr. Judy Rowen
ISBN: 0-670-85795-5
The Book That Jack Wrote
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Daniel Adel
Frankly, my initial impression of this book was unfavorable. I didn't feel that the cynicism reflected in the text and illustrations was necessary for young readers. But my nearly 6-year old daughter feels otherwise. "I love this book!," she enthusiastically proclaimed after I finished reading her this parody on This is the House That Jack Built. Truthfully, after the first couple of pages, she took over and read the rest of the book to me. It's about a rat, a cat, a cow over the moon, what the bug did to the rug, how the egg fell off the wall, and more. She especially enjoys the familiar, repetitive verse, and the exaggerated stylized illustrations capture her imagination. (What do I know?) 1994, Viking, Ages 5 up, $14.99. Reviewer: Marilyn and Florrie Bagel
ISBN: 0-670-84330-X
The Frog Prince Continued
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
Scieszka and his comic cohort, Smith, ignited a resurgence of retellings and brought new vision to fairy tales with The Frog Prince Continued. Scieszka gravitated to fairy tales because it's the genre that kids are in charge of-where they can take control and be in on the joke. Below Scieszka's patina of humor and playfulness, there is a respect for kids that shapes his work. His books may appeal to adults, but they are created for, motivated by, and support the vision of kids. 1991, Viking, Ages 5 up, $14.95 and $4.99. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-670-83421-1
ISBN: 0-14-054285-X
ISBN: 0-14-055522-6
The Good, the Bad and the Goofy
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
Scieszka and his comic cohort, Smith, support the vision of kids in The Good, the Bad and the Goofy, one volume in the "Time Warp Trio" series. Joe, Fred and Sam are three wild and crazy guys who travel in time. All Scieszka's skinny time travel novels are fat with adventure, laughs, and tension. Their seventy-plus pages feature wacky heroes who are consistently kid-like, and each book fulfills a promise of wild adventure and giggles galore while making history come alive. The Time Warp Trio reacts and relates the way kids would. 1992, Viking, Ages 9 to 13, $11.99 and $2.99. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-670-84380-6
ISBN: 0-14-036170-7
It's All Greek to Me
Jon Scieszka
Illustrations by Lane Smith
The dynamic trio, Joe, Sam and Fred are at it once again in this new segment of "The Time Warp Trio" series. The boys are about to start rehearsing their school play about ancient Greece when the script gets knocked into The Book, a magical time-warping tome reminiscent of The Never Ending Story. Suddenly, they find themselves in Hades, and so begins their quest to get back to the future. The celestial crew on Mount Olympus are a bunch of wise-cracking smart-alecks, sounding a lot like certain American eleven-year-old boys, many of whom might find the insulting tone very funny. There are a ton of references to actual facts about Greek mythology, so readers just might learn a thing or two along the way. This isn't great literature, but the humor, wordplay, and cliffhanger chapter endings could very well hold the attention of reluctant readers. There's a glossary in the back to explain a bit about the Greek mythological figures. 1999, Viking, Ages 7 to 11, $13.99. Reviewer: Nancy Partridge
ISBN: 0-670-88596-7
Knights of the Kitchen Table
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
Scieszka and his comic cohort, Smith, support the vision of kids in Knights of the Kitchen Table, one of the "Time Warp Trio" series. Joe, Fred and Sam are three wild and crazy guys who travel in time. All Scieszka's skinny time travel novels are fat with adventure, laughs, and tension. Their seventy-plus pages feature wacky heroes who are consistently kid-like, and each book fulfills a promise of wild adventure and giggles galore while making history come alive. 1993, Viking, Ages 9 to 13, $11.99 and $2.99. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-670-83622-2
ISBN: 0-14-034603-1
Math Curse
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
The duo who dare to be different take us into the world of numbers in this book. They combine math and literature and get the story of a young heroine whose questions multiply when her teacher, Mrs. Fibonacci, tells the math class, "You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem." The young girl is spun into the world of mathematics. Problems she encounters include simple arithmetic processes, mathematical systems, money, measuring, and geometry. The mathematical facet of the book is equaled by playful references and humor, which gains the book exponential power. One could read Math Curse with a child as young as second grade and that child would enjoy the story at face value, but upper elementary and middle school mathematicians will better appreciate the humor and references. 1995, Viking, Ages 8 up, $16.99. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-670-86194-4
The Not-So-Jolly Roger
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
Scieszka and his comic cohort, Smith, support the vision of kids in The Not-So-Jolly Roger, one of the "Time Warp Trio" series. Joe, Fred and Sam are three wild and crazy guys who travel in time. All Scieszka's skinny time travel novels are fat with adventure, laughs, and tension. Their seventy-plus pages feature wacky heroes who are consistently kid-like and each book fulfills a promise of wild adventure and giggles galore while making history come alive. 1991, Viking, Ages 9 to 13, $14.99 and $2.99. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-670-83754-7
ISBN: 0-14-034684-8
Squids Will Be Squids
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
With their most irreverent brand of humor, Scieszka and Smith, with all due respect to Aesop, have created a collection of modern day fables. All of the bad human characteristics are given to a wacky collection of animals depicted in the zany style for which Lane Smith is known. The wonderful trio of stories involving an elephant and a series of bugs has a real message: Always, always remember to call if you are going to be late coming home or for a date. This collection of fables contains contemporary lessons that relate to homework, friendship, and television. 1998, Viking, Ages 6 to 12, $17.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-670-88135-X
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
Scieszka and his comic cohort, Smith, have ignited a resurgence of retellings and brought new vision to fairy tales. The daring duo was distinguished with a Caldecott honor for this collection of irreverent tales. Scieszka refers to this book as "one of the first fairy tales I twisted" and probably their "fairy tale finale." Below Scieszka's patina of humor and playfulness, there is a respect for kids that shapes his work. "I gravitated to fairy tales because it's the genre that kids are in charge of, can take control of, and be in on the joke." His books may appeal to adults, but they primarily are created for, motivated by, and support the vision of kids. 1992, Viking, Ages 6 up, $16.99, $5.99. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-670-84487-X
ISBN: 0-14-055878-0
ISBN: 0-14-054896-3
Summer Reading Is Killing Me
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
The Time Warp Trio is at it once again. This time, characters from stories on their summer reading list come alive, creating all kinds of crazy mischief in the process. Their only hope is to find "The Book," in which the list has been placed. Their search leads them to Hoboken Library, where Frankenstein is after Pippy Longstocking, Dracula is telling jokes, and Teddy Bear is a raving lunatic! This story is a blast from beginning to end, and kids will be rushing out to buy all the others in the "Time Warp Trio" series. 1998, Viking, Ages 7 to 11, $13.99. Reviewer: Helen J. Pavick
ISBN: 0-670-88041-8
True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
Scieszka and his comic cohort, Smith, ignited a resurgence of retellings and brought new vision to fairy tales with True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Below Scieszka's patina of humor and playfulness, there is a respect for kids that shapes his work. His books may appeal to adults, but they primarily are created for, motivated by, and support the vision of kids. 1989, Viking, Ages 4 up, $15.99 and $22.50. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-670-82759-2
ISBN: 0-14-054056-3
ISBN: 0-453-00768-6
Tut Tut
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
The Time Warp Trio is off on another adventure and this time it takes place in Egypt. This adventure is slightly different because Anna, Joe's sister gets to go along. The crazy combination of contemporaryt kids in a civilization more than 3,000 year old provides an opportunity for plenty of humor. There is also a smattering of historical facts, Egyptian mythology, and a perilous situation brought about by nasty priest named Hatsnat. Readers know that the kids will escape but the suspense is still there and the ending offers and interesting twist. 1998 (orig. 1996), Puffin, Ages 7 to 11, $11.99 and $3.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-670-84832-8
ISBN: 0-14-036360-2
Your Mother Was a Neanderthal
Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
Scieszka and his comic cohort, Smith, support the vision of kids in Your Mother Was a Neanderthal, one of the Time Warp Trio series. Joe, Fred and Sam are three wild and crazy guys who travel to prehistoric times where they face earthquakes, a saber tooth tiger, and the frustrations of communicating with cave people. All Scieszka's skinny time travel novels are fat with adventure, laughs, and tension. The Time Warp Trio reacts and relates the way kids would. 1995, Puffin, Ages 9 to 13, $12.99 and $3.50. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-670-84481-0
ISBN: 0-14-036372-6
Added 1999
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