Jon Agee (born 1960) is a children's book writer and illustrator whose work centers around wordplay. Since 1981, he has published more than 31 books.[1]
Early life and education
editAgee was born in Nyack, New York in 1960. He attended Cooper Union School of Art and graduated with a BFA degree.[2]
Career
editAgee's art style is known for its "trademark blocky ink-and-watercolor illustrations," according to The New York Times.[3]
In the 1990s, he wrote two musicals for children for the Tada! theater company,[4] one of which was titled B.O.T.C.H, short for Bureau of Turmoil, Chaos and Headaches, a fictional New York City agency in charge of disrupting city functioning.[5]
He has written cartoons for The New Yorker.[6]
Agee has published several books of palindromes and word play such as anagrams and oxymorons.[4] He became interested in them after a friend started writing them. "I liked the way absurdity and logic were intertwined," Agee said.[4] In its review of Agee's book of 60 illustrated oxymorons called Who Ordered the Jumbo Shrimp?[7] The New York Times wrote that "it would be a near miss, if not a minor catastrophe, not to take the calculated risk of treating the whole family to this instant classic."[7]
His books include the 1996 picture book Dmitri the Astronaut, Smart Feller Fart Smeller, and many more.[8][9]
At the first annual Symmys palindrome awards, he won in the short palindrome category for "An igloo costs a lot, Ed! Amen. One made to last! So cool, Gina!".[10] He also won in 2021.[4]
Personal life
editAgee lives in San Francisco with his wife, Audrey.[2] He enjoys crossword puzzles. In 2003, New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz wrote that Agee had thanked him for including his name in a Friday crossword and joked that "he would not be satisfied until his name appeared in a Monday puzzle, the easiest of the week, where every answer is supposed to be familiar to most solvers. Only then would he know that he had truly arrived."[11]
List of works
editPicture books
edit- If Snow Falls (1982)[12]
- Ellsworth (1983)[8][12]
- Ludlow Laughs (1985)[8][12]
- The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau (1988)[8][12]
- The Return of Freddy LeGrand (1992)[12]
- Flapstick (1993)[12]
- Dmitri the Astronaut (1996)[8][12]
- The Return of Freddy Legrand (1999)[8][12]
- Milo's Hat Trick (2001)[8][12]
- When Z Goes Home (2003)[8][12]
- Terrific (2005)[8][12]
- Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? (2006)[8][12]
- Nothing (2007)[8][12]
- The Retired Kid (2008)[8][12]
- My Rhinoceros (2011)[8][12]
- The Other Side of Town (2012)[8][12]
- Little Santa (2013)[8][12]
- It's Only Stanley (2015)[8][12]
- Lion Lessons (2016)[8][12]
- Life on Mars (2017)[8][12]
- The Wall in the Middle of the Book (2018)[8][12]
- I Want a Dog (2019)[8][12]
- My Dad Is a Tree (2023)[8][12]
Collections of word play
edit- Go Hang a Salami! I'm a Lasagna Hog!: And Other Palindromes (1991)[8][9]
- So Many Dynamos!: And Other Palindromes (1994)[8][9]
- Who Ordered the Jumbo Shrimp?: And Other Oxymorons (1998)[8][9]
- Sit on a Potato Pan, Otis!: More Palindromes (1999)[8][9]
- Elvis Lives!: And Other Anagrams (2000)[8][9]
- Palindromania! (2002)[8][9]
- Smart Feller Fart Smeller: And Other Spoonerisms (2006)[8][9]
- Orangutan Tongs: Poems to Tangle Your Tongue (2009)[9]
- Mr. Putney's Quacking Dog (2010)[8][9]
- Otto: A Palindrama (2021)[8][9]
As illustrator
edit- Dee Lillegard, Sitting in My Box (1989)[8][12]
- Natalie Babbitt and others, The Big Book for Peace (1990)[13]
- Tor Seidler, Mean Margaret (1997)[12]
- Erica Silverman, The Halloween House (1998)[12]
- William Steig, Potch & Polly (2002)[12]
References
edit- ^ Saxon |, Antonia. "Q & A with Jon Agee". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
- ^ a b "About". www.jonagee.com. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
- ^ Paul, Pamela (September 14, 2011). "Boys at Play". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Hill, Angela; correspondent (2021-11-17). "SF author Jon Agee's whimsical word play yields a book of palindromes". The Mercury News. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has generic name (help) - ^ Graeber, Laurel (January 2, 1998). "Family Fare". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Sarah Harrison (December 18, 2013). "Christmas for Keeps". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ a b Combes, Abbott (November 15, 1998). "Who Ordered the Jumbo Shrimp?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae "Books by Jon Agee and Complete Book Reviews". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Word Play Books". JonAgee.com. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Williams, John (March 11, 2013). "Palindrome Prize Winners Announced in Oregon". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Shortz, Will (March 3, 2003). "Crossword Memo: What's in a Name? Five Letters or Less". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "Picture Books". JonAgee.com. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Durell, Ann; Sachs, Marilyn (1990). The Big Book for Peace. New York: Dutton children's books. ISBN 0525446052.