You should totally go out and get a copy of Joey Weiser's graphic novel, Mermin Vol. 1: Out of Water

For the past few years, Joey Weiser has been crucial to my meeting my deadlines. A graphic novelist in his own right, Joey has been assisting in coloring and shading the Lunch Lady books starting with book 5, and also the first Platypus Police Squad book. His self-published Mermin books, which are beyond awesome, have now been bound up in full color by Oni Press! These books will be a huge hit with young comic readers.

I'm not plugging Joey's book because he's helped me out, I'm plugging it because it's a superlative kids' graphic novel.

Learn more about Mermin, the fish-boy who yearns to live on land, at Joey's website: http://tragic-planet.com!

Announcing School Lunch Superhero Day on May 3rd!

I am beyond ecstatic to announce an initiative that I've been cooking up with the School Nutrition Association and Random House Children's Books. School Lunch Superhero Day will take place on May 3rd! Let's show our appreciation for the folks who feed 32 million kids in our nation's public schools on a daily basis.

Learn more at www.schoollunchsuperheroday.com!

Shannon Hale on today's episode of The Book Report with JJK!

Listen in to my conversation with magnificent author Shannon Hale on today's Book Report with JJK! Airs at 5:40ET/2:40PT on Kids Place Live, channel 78 on SiriusXM! Tune in to learn about Shannon's Rapunzel's Revenge and Princess Academy!

Awesome videos by the kids at Parkview Elementary!

On a recent visit to Parkview Elementary, I was greeted by these incredible videos ahead of my assemblies. I was just blown away by the love these kids gave my books!

Thank you to the awesome kids at Parkview and their awesome librarian, Laura Given!

Sketchbook Saturday

It has been some time since I've posted a weekly sketch here on the ol' blog. Something about having two young kids and an intense deadline schedule...

Anyhow, here are some sketches from my early morning sketch session with my kids.

Enjoy!

What happens when you gather 3,000 lunch ladies?

Well, this summer, I will find out! I'm thrilled that I'll be a keynote speaker at the School Nutrition Association's ANC conference this July!

I'll be speaking to a room filled with 3,000 school nutritionists form across the country! I cannot wait!

This is the invitation that is currently being delivered to just about every school cafeteria in America....

Wowzers!

New Eidtions

No, not New Edition, new editions. 2013 will see lots of new ways to enjoy books on my backlist. (AKA: books that came out a while ago.)

Good Night, Monkey Boy will find a whole new sort of audience on May 14th when it comes out as a board book edition. So feel free to give it to your youngest of readers to chew, throw and drool on without concern. I'm especially excited as I've learned first hand how essential board books are to raising a little reader. Monkey Boy will also be published as an eBook on that same day. 

Here's a photo of my youngest reader inspecting the Good Night, Monkey Boy board book cover proofs last summer!

And here she is this morning! The final board edition arrived for her approval.

Here is a size comparison next to the original hardcover

And speaking of eBooks, Baghead and Max for President have recently joined my growing list of digital editions. Look for those in your favorite eRetailer and take a whole stack of books along with you on your tablet computer!

Annie Was Warned is already available as a digital edition, but on August 6th you can pick up a paperback edition as well! The paperback edition posed a bit of a challenge. If you recall, there is a gatefold in the original hardcover edition. Gatefolds are expensive to print and therefore go against the whole point of having an affordable paperback. To translate Annie into paperback, the page layout changed a bit. That last page was no longer a single page, but a double-page spread. With that, I needed to revisit some art. A fun challenge -- recreate the exact same style and colors for something that you painted ten years ago so that it can fit in seamlessly with the original pages. I'm proud of what I was able to accomplish. Below, see the original printed page with the brand-new art! The paperback edition will publish just as the book celebrates its 10th year in print!

Kindergarten library card party -- your public library should take on this awesome program

Roseville Public Library in Minnesota holds a "graduation ceremony" for Kindergartners who are getting their first library cards. It's awesome! Impossibly cute and the kids are filled with so much pride. And of course it reinforces the privilege of having a card! I was honored to be invited out to speak at the event.  Here I am with the incredible group (minus Ann) who made it all happen!

You should totally bring such a program to your community! 

two podcasts in which I discuss the business side of kid lit

Recently, I sat down in front of my computer and Skyped with two great podcasts. If you're interested in the business side of children's books and have some time to spare (and aren't sick of hearing me yap away), give them a listen!

I chatted with fellow graphic novelists Dave Roman and Jerzy Drozd on their fantastic kids' comics podcast, Kids' Comics Revolution!. Here, I delve into the business of visiting schools and libraries. My wife Gina and I put a lot of care into this programming, so it was cool to be able to share some of our practices.

Give that a listen here:



And I talked about life in art school and breaking into the kid lit market with Jeffery Yan over at RISD Voice. You can hop on over to that podcast by following this link. It's a great podcast that covers a wide variety of artistic disciplines.

DJ Consonants - Czekaj and I guest host Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child

This crazy blizzard may have stopped Jef Czekaj and I from taking the stage at the Carle Museum this Saturday, but not from guest DJing Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child! Listen to our kid-lit/punk/rap set on your local radio stations, or online here:

http://www.prx.org/pieces/91786-2013-02-09


We'll see you at the Carle at 1pm on March 9th!

Matt Phelan on today's episode of The Book Report with JJK!

I sat down to chat with Matt Phelan about his beautiful and moving graphic novels. You can eavesdrop on my chat with my old pal today at 5:40 pm EST / 2:40 pm PST on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live, channel 78!

this weekend's event at The Carle is postponed, rescheduled for March 9th!

POSTPONED!!! Hi everyone, because of the impending Nor'easter, everyone thought it best that we reschedule the Czekaj/Krosoczka Show.

Jef and I will rock Punk Farm and Hip & Hop on Saturday, March 9th at 1 PM at the Carle Museum. (Please note this is an updated revised date!)

Stay safe and happy sledding!

If you are bummed about missing out on the fun this weekend, just sing "snow" instead of "rain."



Please note, Jef and I will rock harder than Milli Vanilli.

R. W. Alley and Zoë B. Alley on today's Book Report with JJK!

R. W. Alley and Zoë B. Alley are on The Book Report with JJK today at 5:40pm ET / 2:40pm PT! As always, you can find my show on SiriusXM Kids Place Live, channel 78, within the Absolutely Mindy Show.

Here we are driving through the cornfields of Nebraska, where this interview was conducted!

Minneapolis this Saturday!

I'll be heading out to Minneapolis this weekend to give readings and sign books in celebration of Kindergartners and their 1st library cards!

I hear it's balmy out there this time of year. I'll be sure to pack my board shorts and Hawaiian shirts!

Here's the info:


January 26 - 11am & 2pm
Roseville, MN -  Ramsey County Library


I'll pack my winter coat, too. Just in case...

Watch Jeanne Birdsall's TEDx Talk

Jeanne Birdsall reveals her cheerleader past, recounts her first broken heart and shares beautiful insight to finding that inner child. Whether or not you have read The Penderwicks, you will find this talk absolutely intriguing. But if you have read the books, you will only fall deeper in love with them.

This TEDx Talk is a must watch!

I'm very proud of my surrogate auntie!

Christopher Paolini on today's edition of The Book Report with JJK!

I had a few moments to catch up with Christopher Paolini while in DC this past fall. Did you know that we have the same editor? So Lunch Lady and Eragon are kind of like literary siblings.

Listen in to our chat today at 5:40 pm ET / 2:40 PT on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live, channel 78!

The Book Report with JJK returns today with Kevin Henkes!

I've been a huge fan of Kevin Henkes for years now. I'm proud to have met him a bunch of times over the years, but most thankful to have been able to sit down and really chat with him about his books.

Tune in today, January 9th, to The Book Report with JJK today at 5:40 pm EST / 2:40 pm EST to listen in! SiriusXM's Kids Place Live, channel 78!

my guest blog for TED.com - 10 modern book characters that will become classics

Today, I guest blog for TED.com! What modern characters will forever live in the hearts of the Krosoczka family?
Find out here!

This list of course is from just the first few years of our reading life as a family. There will be so many more fictional friends for my kids to meet as they grow and I can't wait to expand this list!

called up from the farm league, my TED talk is now on the main page of ted.com

Surreal doesn't even begin to describe this. Today, my TED talk is featured on the main page of ted.com. I'm so honored that the editors at TED curated my video to be featured here. I even have a profile page at ted.com. (Check that out here.)

Without a doubt, this is an accomplishment made possible through all of the overwhelming support you guys gave this vid on YouTube. My talk now has the official fancy TED intro and everything!

Where I'll be in the first half of 2013

2013 is here! I enjoyed some wonderful weeks with my family that was a bit of a "Digital Detox" as I completely logged off of all email and social media, but now it's time to crank up the ol' Internet machine for the new year.

I have a ton of exciting things to look forward to. I'm excited for you to meet new characters this year and be a part of the further adventures of current fictional friends. Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain is on the horizon, as is Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked, which will be begin a new chapter in my career.

I'll also be revving up the ol' radio machine again and will soon be broadcasting new episodes of The Book Report with JJK on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live. (Online archives of past installments are on their way!)

Below is a list of where you'll be able to find me in person. Please come on out and say hi!
(It's always a good idea to double check with the venue beforehand.)

January 12 - 12pm & 2pm 

New York, NY - Macy's Herald Square

A free copy of Ollie the Purple Elephant with every purchase of $25 or more from the Kids' Department!


January 26 - 11am & 2pm
Roseville, MN -  Ramsey County Library

A celebration of Kindergartners and their 1st library cards!

February 9 - 1pm
Amherst, MA - The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Jej Czekaj and I team up once again to bring you a punk/hip hop party for kids.


February 23 
Dublin, OH - Dublin Literary Conference

March 30 
Northampton, MA - MELTDOWN!

It's the 5th year for the rock/lit festival that Gina and I cofounded with WRSI The River!
This year we have Matt McElligott, Judy Schachner, Angela DiTerlizzi and Tony DiTerlizzi! Plus, Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain will be released a few weeks early exclusively for this event!


April 4
Quincy, MA - Massachusetts Reading Association conference


April 9
Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain publishes!!!

April 19 & 20
Bowling Green, KY - Southern Kentucky Book Festival


April 27 10am
Fort Worth, TX - Texas Library Association Conference
Visually Speaking: Why Graphic Novels Count


May 4
Houston, TX - Houston Public Library's Children's Book Celebration


May 7
Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked publishes!

Dates to be added for an official PPS tour! Details in the coming weeks!

May 18
Knoxville, TN - Children's Festival of Reading


June 26
Ames, IA - Iowa Reading Conference


June 23
Chicago, IL - American Library Association
Krosoczka! Ten Apel! Telgemeier!  Graphic Novels Your Kids Love By Names You Can’t Pronounce  Moderated by Jon Scieszka


August 2
Los Angeles, CA - SCBWI International Conference