Books: Jon Scieszka

Called an "evangelist for reading" by the Library of Congress, Scieszka was named the country's first children's literature laureate this month. He's the author of "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!", a witty kid-lit tale told from the wolf's point of view. His list:

My Five Most Important Books

1. "Go, Dog. Go!" by P. D. Eastman. It sent me down the road to the absurd writing life. Dogs driving around in cars, and having a party in a tree! That's my kind of story.

2. "Tristram Shandy" by Laurence Sterne. My own book "Stinky Cheese Man" owes a ton to this quixotic, convoluted narrative.

3. "Gravity's Rainbow" by Thomas Pynchon. It's got everything: history, science jokes and funny storytelling.

4. "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or David Copperfield" by Robert Benchley. The title is half the reason I love it.

5. "Grimm's Fairy Tales" by the Brothers Grimm. They're handed-down treasure, honed for decades and generations.

A major book that you haven't read: "In Search of Lost Time" by Marcel Proust. My eyes went over the words. Nothing stuck.

A classic that, upon rereading, disappointed: "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson. The language is so difficult and dense. It's just too tough for kids—grown-ups, too.

© 2008