A Laureate for Kids (It’s OK to Laugh)

Tell us more about Trucktown, your new preschool series with characters who are all trucks. The first book goes on sale Jan. 8 and, in your words, "tells the heartwarming story of two trucks, best friends, who … smash and crash things." Sounds like a winner for little boys? 
I just thought back to what I liked to read—trucks! My dad used to take [my five brothers and me] to construction sites, and we'd just stay there for hours. We were all cheap dates.

Your Web site lists your "output statistics," with how many books you've written that are rectangular (24), square (3), cheese related (1) and not yet published (49). Is that true? Can we look forward to at least 49 more books?
I would hope so!

What do you think of the Harry Potter books?
That entire series was just a spectacular phenomenon.

But J. K. Rowling can't be our children's laureate because she's British!
Exactly. I would have picked her otherwise! I'm not really a fantasy, sci-fi fan, but I love being able to recommend that. That's kind of what I tell parents and teachers. That may not be your favorite reading, but step outside yourself and think what would a 7-year-old girl love. Don't just say, "We're all going to read 'Kidnapped'," or "We're all going to read 'Little House on the Prairie'." I know you love "Little House on the Prairie," but don't try to make your 7-year-old son try to read that.

What's your goal as children's laureate, and what does it mean for you?
It's this whole combination of all the stuff I've been doing in the past. It gives this great legitimacy to humor. The guys I hang out with are like Mo Willems, who writes "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus," or Gordon Korman [author of "No More Dead Dogs"]. We're always whining, "Nobody loves the funny books, we don't get the awards!" People buy a lot of them, but we don't get any prizes. Now I did!

© 2008