Bio
J. Patrick Lewis was born and raised alongside his twin brother, Mick, and younger brother, Tim, in Gary, Indiana. He earned a BA at Saint Joseph’s College, an MA at Indiana University and a PhD in economics at the Ohio State University. Lewis taught at Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio until 1998, when he switched careers to become a full-time writer. Lewis discovered poetry at the age of 39; he says that poetry “seized me by the nape of the neck and wouldn’t let go.”
Lewis has published more than 80 books of poetry for children. He writes about topics both light and serious, funny and dark — and he explores all sorts of topics, from modern day heroes to oddball holidays to mathematics. Lewis has written poetry in many styles — free verse, rhyme, haiku, riddles, limericks and villanelles — whatever best suits the purpose of the poem. His books include Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles (2009, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger); New York Times Best Illustrated Book The Last Resort (2002, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti and translated into more than a dozen languages); The Shoe Tree of Chagrin (2001, illustrated by Chris Sheban), which won the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators’ Golden Kite Award; and A Hippopotamusn’t: And Other Animal Poems (1990, illustrated by Victoria Chess). In 2012, Lewis edited The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry, featuring stunning photography and 200 carefully chosen poems about animals of the world.
His children’s poetry has been widely anthologized, and his contributions to children’s literature have been recognized with the 2011 Children’s Poetry Award from the National Council of Teachers of English and the Ohioana Awards’ 2004 Alice Louise Wood Memorial Prize. Lewis was named the nation’s third Children’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation and served from 2011 to 2013. He lives in Westerville, Ohio.
Learn more about J. Patrick Lewis on his official website (opens in a new window).
Books by this author
Each lively rhyme or riddle about everyday things actually asks a math question; some easy, some more difficult, all playfully involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Humorous spins on recognizable situations are enhanced by comical illustrations.
Arithme-Tickle: An Even Number of Odd Riddle-Rhymes
Blackbeard’s story is “a tale to billow a pirate’s sail!” Told here in a series of poems, including brief bits of factual information and dramatic images, this is a book that will capture the imagination of any pirate enthusiast. An author’s note provides additional information, a timeline and sources for what we know about this fierce pirate.
Blackbeard the Pirate King
Well-known poems are recast as puzzlers that can only be solved by using math. From easy to difficult, math and poems are sure to delight both mathematicians and poetry lovers.
Edgar Allan Poe’s Pie: Math Puzzlers in Classic Poems
Face Bug
Heroes and She-roes: Poems of Amazing and Everyday Heroes
Former children’s poet laureate, J. Patrick Lewis, allows the polar bear tell us what he’s called in different cultures — White Bear, Ice Bear, Sea Bear, Sailor of the Icebergs, the Ever-wandering One. The Inuit’s say “I am Nanuk”). The devastating ending shows the polar bear adrift on a shrinking bit of ice, “losing hold” — a reference to how this Arctic animal is threatened by extinction and in need of human protection.
I Am Polar Bear
The watermelon seed that skitters across the page becomes a concrete poem and is just one of the funny poetic forms in this collection. The humor in each short poem (from riddles to haiku) is heightened by comic black/white illustrations.
If You Were a Chocolate Mustache
Thirteen classic poems by poets such as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, and David McCord are paired with parodies written by J. Patrick Lewis that honor and play off of the original poems in a range of ways. This playful introduction to classics will inspire imagination and wonder even as it tickles funny bones.
Keep a Pocket in Your Poem: Classic Poems and Playful Parodies
Last Laughs: Animal Epitaphs
They’re all gone now but a group of dinosaurs comes back to life even if only while reading funny epitaphs. Equally comic illustrations and a smattering of factual information are included on the pages of this clever collection.
Last Laughs: Prehistoric Epitaphs
Stunning color photographs and poems combine to pay homage to some of the “world’s enduring man-made constructions” while introducing a range of poetic forms. The result is a memorable collection of visual art, information, and literary art sure to stand up to multiple examinations.
Monumental Verses
National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry
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A Packsack of Poems
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A Poetic Spring
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Hit the Road, Rails, and Trails
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Holiday Buying Guide 2005
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Holiday Buying Guide 2006
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Holiday Buying Guide 2009
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Holiday Buying Guide 2010
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Holiday Buying Guide 2017
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Things to Do When There’s Nothing to Do
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