RILINK Schools: Edgewood Highland School Library: Jon Scieszka

Assignment

Just like Jon Scieszka shares stores from his childhood in Knucklehead, you are going to share a story from your life. Think of something funny, silly, crazy, or downright unbelievable that happened in your life and think about how you would tell the story. We will brainstorm some ideas together. We will be creating a class video of our stories to share. Here are a few things to remember:

When Jon tells his stories, he sometimes exaggerates his stories so think of how you can embellish your story.
Stories should take between 1-3 minutes to read out loud. We don't want anything too long or too short!
Add some humor!
Think about having a "catchy" introduction

Interview

Knucklehead Book Trailer

Meeting Jon

Although I have always enjoyed his books, meeting Jon Scieszka made me appreciate and love his books even more. He is one of the funniest people I have ever met (he even had me in tears when he told some of the stories from his childhood). Even though he autographed hundreds of books and met dozens of people, he was incredibly nice and gracious and he loved hearing all about my libraries and schools. I hope you can appreciate and love Jon Scieszka's work as much as I do!

-Ms. Tanner

Books

Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka
How did Jon Scieszka get so funny, anyway? Growing up as one of six brothers was a good start, but that was just the beginning. Throw in Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, jokes told at family dinner, and the result is Knucklehead. Part memoir, part scrapbook, this hilarious trip down memory lane provides a unique glimpse into the formation of a creative mind and a free spirit. Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka; Lane Smith (Illustrator)
The entire book, with its unconventional page arrangement and eclectic, frenetic mix of text and picures, is a spoof on the art of book design and the art of the fairy tale. The individual tales, such as he Really Ugly Ducklingand ittle Red Running Shorts,can be extracted for telling aloud, with great success. Another masterpiece from the team that created The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! -Horn Book
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka; Lane Smith (Illustrator)
A spoof on the three little pigs story, this time told from the wolf's point of view. Lane Smith also illustrated Hallowe'en ABC which was one of The New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year.
Science Verse by Jon Scieszka; Lane Smith (Illustrator)
"Amoeba" Don't ever tease a wee amoeba By calling him a her amoeba. And don't call her a him amoeba. Or never he a she amoeba. 'Cause whether his or hers amoeba, They too feel like you and meba. What if a boring lesson about the food chain becomes a sing-aloud celebration about predators and prey? A twinkle-twinkle little star transforms into a twinkle-less, sunshine-eating-and rhyming Black Hole? What if amoebas, combustion, metamorphosis, viruses, the creation of the universe are all irresistible, laugh-out-loud poetry? Well, you're thinking in science verse, that's what. And if you can't stop the rhymes . . . the atomic joke is on you. Only the amazing talents of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, the team who created Math Curse, could make science so much fun.
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka; Lane Smith
Three of Scieszka and Smiths classic tales which work in fun science and math lessons are now available in these deluxe, limited-edition paperbacks, each featuring French flaps. Full color.
Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka; Lane Smith (Illustrator); Adam McCauley (Illustrator)
Joe's been caught up in a book before, but this is ridiculous! Joe's Book, a gift from his magician uncle, doesn't just tell stories, it zaps Joe and his friends Sam and Fred right into the middle of them. And when these thoroughly modern kids meet King Arthur and become Knights of the Round Table, the result can only be thoroughly amusing mayhem.
Your Mother Was a Neanderthal by Jon Scieszka; Lane Smith (Illustrator)
For use in schools and libraries only. Three friends, Sam, Joe, and Fred travel through time having action-packed, outlandish adventures. The snappy dialogue and classic "boy" humor in this series of chapter books will engage the most reluctant readers.

Other Sites

Jon Scieszka's Official Website

Want to know more about Jon Scieszka? Visit the websites below!

Scholastic Biography
Guys Read
Birthday Bunny/Battle Bunny
National Book Festival 2008
Jon Scieszka speaks at the 2008 National BooK Festival about his series Trucktown and Knucklehead. To watch just the portion about Knucklhead, start at 7:15 and end at 17:30
SLJ Review of Knucklehead
Kirkus Review

Standards

Common Core & AASL Standards