A knucklehead among knuckleheads

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Jon Scieszka is a master at making reading fun for kids, as he proves once again in his latest book, "Knucklehead" (Viking, $16.99).In 38 short, photo-filled chapters, Scieszka vividly details what it was like to grow up with five brothers (he was the second-oldest) who were always getting into some sort of trouble.There was the time Scieszka and his older brother Jim charged friends 10 cents each to watch their baby brother chew (and spit out) cigarette butts. Another time, Jon and Jim tied a plastic dry-cleaning bag into knots and then set it on fire, causing the bag to drip melted plastic -- the perfect "bombs" for their game of war -- until a cloud of black smoke began to gather under the ceiling of the basement where they were playing.Other chapters involve adventures with cat vomit and dog poop, among other things. Several chapters end with a "Knucklehead" warning to readers against trying to replicate the stunts that were pulled.Meanwhile, the book's cover is designed to look like a comic book and features an illustration showing Scieszka in a tank amid a sea of explosions while military aircraft overhead drop bombs.Clearly, "Knucklehead," aimed at readers ages 8-12, isn't for the faint-hearted. But it is the perfect book for boys, reluctant readers and any young reader looking for a fast-paced, thoroughly entertaining autobiography.In a recent telephone interview, Scieszka said he hopes kids have as much fun reading "Knucklehead" as he did writing it."I owed my editor a book for years and years. So one day she just told me to write down the stories I was always telling her about when I was a kid," Scieszka said.While "Knucklehead" is subtitled "Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories About Growing Up Scieszka," Scieszka insists that the book's contents actually are factual."My older brother is a lawyer so I wanted to be careful," he joked. "And I thought that (subtitle) might protect me from my mom, who claims that the cat-puke story isn't true. But it is!"Scieszka, 53, has been surprised by the fact that adults also are reading his book. "It seems that anybody who grew up in that generation can relate to the stories in the book," he said.Scieszka adds that the first thing most people say is, "'Oh, your poor mom.' " Yet his mother, a registered nurse, is an inveterate joke teller who remained unfazed by her active brood.Scieszka's father, meanwhile, was an elementary-school principal; he was the one who first came up with "knucklehead," asking one day as he discovered that his toast tasted like a melted green plastic army man, "What knucklehead put an army man in the toaster?"The publication of "Knucklehead" is perfect timing for Scieszka, who was named earlier this year as the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. In his two-year tenure, Scieszka is focusing on ways to persuade adults -- and kids -- that there's more to reading than just classic fiction.Ever the showman, Scieszka revels in his ambassador's role. He's got a special "ambassador's" sash, but jokes that he'd like to have a medal to pin on his suit and maybe even a special helicopter to ferry him to appearances. He even laughingly contends that he has "diplomatic immunity" and hopes someday to have his face on the Cheerios box. (Cheerios is sponsoring the ambassadorship.)Scieszka, who published his first children's book, "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!," in 1989, believes more kids would read if they could read books that appeal to them, including graphic novels, non-fiction and comics. He also promotes the value of online reading, and his newest project, "Spaceheadz," will be a multimedia project that will allow kids to help create the story via reading blogs and other online tools as they read the printed books.Scieszka, whose books include the Caldecott Honor-winning "Stinky Cheese Man," also continues to sponsor the "Guys Read" Web site (www.guysread.com), which he created several years ago to promote reading to boys.In fact, "Knuckhead" is a perfect example of the kind of book that demonstrates to both boys and girls that reading is fun, not drudgery."The book encapsulates my idea that we should relax a little bit, and let kids have a good time reading," Scieszka said.(Karen MacPherson, the children's/teen librarian at the Takoma Park, Md., Library, can be reached at Kam.Macpherson(at)gmail.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com.)