Author Visit: Jon Scieszka comes to Brightworks
Beloved children's author Jon Scieszka visited Brightworks on January 29!
We were honored to host author Jon Scieszka for a full day of stories and read-alouds. From tales of growing up with five brothers to his time as the first-of-his-kind National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Jon captivated every Band.
A Highlight?
Jon shared how, during a White House visit, he was told not to read a certain story about his brothers' mischief. Jon noted that he didn’t READ it, but he did TELL it, and he saw GW Bush LOL… probably because he had brothers too, Jon thought. Your Quartz and Sapphire kiddos laughed too!
Beyond the stories, students gained "behind-the-scenes" insights into the business of storytelling, from character development to the world of professional illustration.
After his visit, Jon sent a note calling Brightworks a “one-in-a-million school.”
He remarked:
“Every school seems to talk about being ‘child-centered’ these days. Brightworks walks the walk.”
To hear this from a prolific author and educator who has visited hundreds of schools is music to our ears.
Second-oldest (and best) in a family of six boys, elementary school teacher for 10 years, and writer of children’s book for over 30 years, Jon Scieszka is the author of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!, The Stinky Cheese Man, Math Curse, Science Verse, The Time Warp Trio series, the Trucktown series, a memoir Knucklehead, the crazy Battle Bunny, and too many more titles to mention here.
Mr. Scieszka is the founder of GUYS READ, a web-based literacy initiative for boys. In his life and work, he has always been a firm believer in learning best by playing around. In 2008, the Library of Congress named Mr. Scieszka the first National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature. And he hasn’t stopped wearing his medal since.
His latest graphic novel series, AstroNuts, lushly illustrated by the amazing Steven Weinberg, combines the dismal news about climate change and the goofy gags of 4 superpowered NNASA (NotNASA) animals looking for a Goldilocks to save humanity.
Ambassador Scieszka is always happy to talk books, and let you in on new secret projects in the works.