Knucklehead: tall tales & mostly true stories of growing up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka

I firmly believe that Jon Scieszka set out to write the most boy-friendly book in the world, and succeeded.  This autobiographical book has all the elements that boys want.  It is guaranteed to fly off the shelves thanks to the amazing vintage comic-book cover.  When boys read it, they are bound to share it with their friends thanks to the firecrackers, peeing, barfing, and continuous wild antics of the Scieszka brothers.  But what the cover and the louder moments of the book won’t reveal is the lovely tone of the book that captures boyhood and brotherhood with such ease.  The author is right there laughing with us at each event, loving looking back into his childhood together. 

He is also doing other important things, vital things for his young male readers.  He is showing boys that it is just fine to be pure boys.  To be silly, wild, crude, and violent.  That humor is contagious and that laughing together is powerful.  That being unique or even a little odd is just fine.  And that adults need not approve for it to be a great great story.

I read this book aloud to my sons at bedtime.  During the two weeks we shared the book together, they asked to go to bed EARLY multiple times to hear the story continue!  There was a visceral connection there, a community of men and boys being built, there was wonder, humor, and definitely wild abandon.

Anyone looking for an incredible read aloud for boys has found it here.  Age appropriateness is up to you as a parent.   There are crude things here in all of their bodily-function glory.  I happily read it to my own seven-year-old, but probably would not use it with a class of 2nd graders.  This is a treasure of a nonfiction book.  Share it with the knuckleheads in your life.