Children’s book author and illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka visited the West Tisbury School last week to talk to students about his writing process, creativity, and journey as an author and illustrator. His visit to the Island was arranged by West Tisbury School librarian Stephanie Dreyer, with the help of assistant librarian Sarah Karlinsky.
Krosoczka is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of more than 40 books for young readers, including the graphic memoir “Hey Kiddo” and its follow-up “Sunshine,” the “Star Wars: Jedi Academy” series, and the popular “Lunch Lady” books — a series about a lunch lady who is actually an undercover spy, and solves crimes at Thompson Brook School, where the kids have no idea who she really is.
Krosoczka provided a wonderful example of how inspiration can come from any source, at any time, when he explained how the “Lunch Lady” series came about. “I went back to my old school, and I ran into my old lunch ladies — Jean and Betty,” he said. “They started telling me about their grandkids and their lives.” Krosoczka said that as a kid, he didn’t really think about the lunch ladies as having “lives” outside of school. This realization sent him on a creative journey that dramatically changed his life: “‘Lunch Lady’ helped me secure a place in children’s literature.”
The West Tisbury students learned about the people who inspired and helped Krosoczka throughout the years, including his grandfather, who raised and encouraged him, as well as the librarians and teachers who guided him. He also shared images of his artwork from childhood to the present day. Seeing the progression of his artwork was a powerful way to show the kids how passion, practice, and perseverance can pay off.
Krosoczka seamlessly wove in the importance of reading, not by telling the kids they “should” read, but by sharing how much he loved to read as a kid. “My favorite book was ‘The Mouse and the Motorcycle,’ by Beverly Cleary. That book got me excited about reading,” he said. “I still have it.”
He also encouraged the kids not to judge a book by its cover. “I was given ‘Anne of Green Gables’ to read in school, and my heart sank,” he said. “But when I read it, I loved it. I was surprised how much I had in common with the girl in the book. After reading that one, I went to the library, and the librarian explained that there was a whole series, and I went on to read all of them.”
According to Krosoczka, he learned how to write in third grade: “My teacher taught me all about creating a cover page, a title page, first drafts, and how to make corrections. What I learned in my third-grade classroom about writing, I still use today.”
Of course, no conversation with a writer would be complete without the rejection talk. “The first book I sent out, I waited and waited for an editor to get back to me,” he said. “When they finally did, they said they didn’t like the book. That was my first rejection letter. But I wasn’t upset. I learned about rejection letters, and how many people like writers and actors get rejected at first. I mailed out a second book, and a third, then a fourth, fifth … eighth, ninth, 10th, 11th, and they didn’t like them.”
After years of perseverance and creative exploration, his work caught the fancy of an editor from Random House. The rest is history. Rounding out the presentation, Krosoczka drew the Lunch Lady — with his eyes closed. Then he opened the floor up to questions. A few of the kids’ questions included: How long did it take to write your first book? How much money do you make? Are you working on any new books? And much more.
Third grader Mae Thompson enjoyed the presentation: “I thought it was really fun and interesting to watch him draw with his eyes closed. And there were some really cool questions.”
“I liked hearing about how he started out with the rejections, and then that led to him being a great author,” fifth grader Nolan Dori said. “I want to do this when I grow up.”
To learn more about Jarrett J. Krosoczka, visit studiojjk.com.
