Instructify

It warms my heart to know that a guy who wrote a book called “The Stinky Cheese Man” can be a respected member of the literary community. The Library of Congress Center for the Book and the Children’s Book Council have named Jon Scieszka the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, which is a fancy way of saying “Children’s Laureate.”

Scieszka, which is as hard to type as it is to sound out, is renowned for his Guys Read initiative to promote literacy among males, as well as children’s books “The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs!” and the aforementioned tale about a man made of curdled milk.

A big part of his job is to get kids interested in reading. Scieszka is a former second-grade teacher, so he knows his audience. His books are on the silly side, which has apparently worked out pretty well for him.

I often think that kids who don’t like to read just haven’t found the right book. If you’ve got young students who haven’t bought into the magic of books, consider steering them toward Mr. Scieszka’s work. I know if I was in second grade and I saw a book called “Stinky Cheese Man,” I’d be all over it like stink on Limburger. -BILL FERRIS

New Children’s Laureate Promotes Cheese, Stink via Strollerderby
A Laureate for Kids via Newsweek