One of my favorite books to give kids. Love all the photos in the book but really love Jon Scieszka's reading on the audio. ( )

A glimpse into the author's life through short and entertaining chapters ( )

A hilarious autobiography of Jon Scieszka. Tells of his childhood in Michigan with his brothers.
Themes - Autobiography, brothers, childhood
A great example of an enjoyable autobiography. ( )

This is a memoir of childhood by the Library of Congress’ first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature,children’s author Jon Scieszka. I checked it out from the local library because it was being touted for possible Newbery honors back in January 2009. Jon grew up as the second-oldest of six brothers in a Polish Catholic family in Flint, Michigan, in the late 50s and 60s, and his father used to call them all knuckleheads.

After reading the 106-page, heavily-illustrated Knucklehead, one can see how Scieszka came up with books like The Stinky Cheese Man, Math Curse, Squids Will Be Squids,, and Baloney (Henry P.). With its comic-book-like cover, Knucklehead is aimed more at ages 9-12, also the target of Scieszka’s “Time Warp Trio” series (which now have comic-book-like covers on reissue paperbacks, in keeping with the Discovery Kids TV series of the same name).

However, I wonder if the real audience of this book is anyone who, like Scieszka (who is two years older than me), was a child in the late 50s and 60s, who also has brothers or sons (if you have only sisters and daughters, you might not get some of the humor). There was SO much in this book I could relate to – the nuns at Catholic School (and pagan babies), big families with hand-me-down special outfits and Halloween costumes, “Dick and Jane” readers, broken collarbones (my baby sister!), and playing in sewer pipes and ravines (OK, it was the neighborhood ditch in my case, but the same in that I wasn’t supposed to play there). I suspect my brothers (aka Cousin Weak Eyes and Brother Bad Aim) could relate to even more, particularly the bathroom “sword fights,” plastic army men, and model airplanes. As the oldest of five Catholic-schooled children myself, I think I remember my dad referring to all of us as knuckleheads, and I remember vacations with all seven of us piled in a station wagon.

With 38 two-to-four-page chapters, and numerous family photographs, clip art, period pictures, and other relevant illustrations (report cards, x-rays, etc.), the book is an easy read for reluctant readers, and would also be a great read-aloud for any age. I can really see Boomers like me reading this to our kids (or grandkids!). Not surprisingly, it should especially appeal to boys. Scieszka also founded the non-profit literacy initiative, GUYS READ. ( )

Hilarious book! Jon Scieszka's fiction books are always funny, (think of The Stinky Cheese Man and try not to laugh!) but this memoir of his years growing up with his crazy brothers is knee-slappingly funny. From pranks they played on each other to the horrors of hand-me-down clothing to everything in between, and illustrated with photos from the Scieszka family album, you'll find yourself wishing your family was half as much fun. A good companion book to Chris Crutcher's King of the Mild Frontier, his stories of growing up with his older brother who always dared him to "see something neat!" Knucklehead is more for younger, elementary-age kids, whereas Crutcher's book is for older readers. But they both take place during the 1950's and 60's and have that same sense of knock-em-down brotherhood spirit about them. ( )