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

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Agee was born in Nyack, New York in 1960. He attended Cooper Union School of Art and graduated with a BFA degree.[2]

Career

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Agee'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

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Agee 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

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Picture books

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Collections of word play

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As illustrator

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References

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  1. ^ Saxon |, Antonia. "Q & A with Jon Agee". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  2. ^ a b "About". www.jonagee.com. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  3. ^ Paul, Pamela (September 14, 2011). "Boys at Play". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  4. ^ 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)
  5. ^ Graeber, Laurel (January 2, 1998). "Family Fare". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Smith, Sarah Harrison (December 18, 2013). "Christmas for Keeps". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Combes, Abbott (November 15, 1998). "Who Ordered the Jumbo Shrimp?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Word Play Books". JonAgee.com. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  10. ^ Williams, John (March 11, 2013). "Palindrome Prize Winners Announced in Oregon". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Shortz, Will (March 3, 2003). "Crossword Memo: What's in a Name? Five Letters or Less". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Durell, Ann; Sachs, Marilyn (1990). The Big Book for Peace. New York: Dutton children's books. ISBN 0525446052.