Module 12: Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka

Summary

Scieszka, a well-known author of such children's books as The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheese Man, now writes his autobiography. He was raised as one of six brothers, attended Catholic school as a boy, and was forced to use proper terms when referring to one's anatomy due to the fact that his mother was a nurse. It's a very humorous conglomeration of tales chock full of true stories and adventures, comics, cooking, and just plain Scieszka. The stories included are shameless and would most definitely reach a male population of students. Some pictures of Scieszka as a boy accompany the stories. He grew up in Flint, Michigan, where his family was comprised of pretty much all boys (save his mother, naturally), even the family pets were boys. He devotes a chapter to each of his parents and a chapter to his grandparents. I think it is clear that he loved his family and childhood.

Personal Impressions

This book was really humorous and a little crude. Scieszka didn't leave much to guessing. He covered his favorite and some of his not-so-favorite childhood memories. The writing is not too difficult, and the chapters are short. It's a pretty quick read due to those factors. I really think upper elementary and middle school boys would like this kind of book because it's primarily about boys. I have been a fan of Scieszka's books since I started teaching, and I can see where he gets some of the ideas for his stories. His childhood was a little atypical because not a lot of people are raised in a household full of boys, but the way he tells the stories makes them enjoyable and relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Scieszka. This book only added to my appreciation of him.

Professional Reviews

Booklist (September 1, 2008 (Vol. 105, No. 1))

Grades 4-7. In this arch, glib, unapologetically shame-free outing, Scieszka, who grew up as the second of six sons, has written an autobiography about boys, for boys and anyone else interested in baseball, fire, and peeing on stuff. The format of the book is perfectly suited to both casual and reluctant readers. The text is divided into two- to three-page nonsequential chapters and peppered with scrapbook snapshots and comic-book-ad reproductions. The accessibly irreverent language pushes the boundaries of moderation even as it reflects a sort of skewed wholesomeness. But the real testosterone payoff here is in the stories, which range from losing battles with fractious parochial-school nuns to taking turns watching little brothers (wherein the author watched brother number six eat a cigarette butt and charged neighborhood kids to watch him do it again). By themselves, the chapters entertain with abrupt, vulgar fun. Taken together, they offer a look at the makings of one very funny author—and a happy answer to the dreaded autobiography book report.

Horn Book (January/February, 2010)

Our reigning ambassador of children's literature offers three dozen or so entertaining and allegedly true tales from his childhood in Michigan, growing up in a family of six boys and two blessedly good-natured parents. Short, conversational paragraphs showcase Scieszka's instantly recognizable, expertly timed delivery: "There are a lot of advantages to being one of the oldest in a big family. You get more food. You get newer clothes. You get more attention. You get to beat up on the smaller brothers." And who could have known how much this prankster enjoyed military academy: "It was the place where I learned to really truly read, to write, to learn how to learn." The anecdotes are loosely chronological but discrete, and the browsability of the book is enhanced by a profusion of family photos. There's also a helpful index: "smartest, 11; see also Jon." Scieszka's legion of young fans will enjoy this; it might have even more appeal to the dads and granddads who identified with Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.

Library Uses

I think biographies of any sort have applications in the library. It's a little hard to promote biographies, though, because so much else is out there and the genre is sometimes just pushed off to the side. With the increased rigor of the STAAR and other state tests, it is essential that the library shelve and promote books of this genre. My instinct says that books such as this need to be promoted in order for them to get checked out and read by the student population. One way of using this book in the library would be for the librarian to do an author spotlight every couple of weeks, where he/she promotes a certain author, conducts book talks over books written by that author, perhaps make a bulletin board display over the author and his books, and displays those books in an area of high traffic. Since Scieszka has written books that would appeal to students on a variety of reading levels, he is the perfect author to spotlight.

References

Barthelmess, T. (2008). Knucklehead: Tall tales and almost true stories of growing up Scieszka [Review]. Booklist, 105(1). Retrieved 20 November 2012 from www.booklistonline.com

Philpot, C. (2010). Knucklehead: Tall tales and mostly true stories of growing up Scieszka. Horn Book Magazine, 86(1). Retrieved 20 November 2012 from www.hbook.com

Scieszka, J. Knucklehead: Tall tales and mostly true stories of growing up Scieszka. New York, NY: Penguin Books