Hey, Kiddo

Book cover of Hey, Kiddo

Book description

An important graphic novel memoir that was a US National
Book Award Finalist.
In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka's teacher asks him to draw
his family, with a mommy and a daddy.

But Jarrett's family is much more complicated
than that.

His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Hey, Kiddo as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Alyssa Bermudez

Author

Families come in all shapes and sizes, and it's crucial for children to see a variety of experiences in literature.

Hey, Kiddo portrays the author's upbringing with his grandparents due to his absent father and mother's substance abuse. The book offers child-friendly talking points on the challenging topic of addiction. It captures the complexities of growing up and family life amidst life-changing events.

From Alyssa's list on graphic novels for young readers to encourage empathy.

Padma Venkatraman

Author

Hey, Kiddo is a touching true-life story of a brilliant author-illustrator’s childhood; it is about growing up with a parent who was incarcerated; above all, it is about the transcendent strength of love between a parent and child (in this case a mother who is struggling with addiction and her son). Krosoczka combines art and carefully chosen words to bring us a graphic non-fiction book that is as spellbinding as any novel, and as unforgettable as Art Spiegelman’s Maus, Cece Bell’s El Deafo, or Jerry Craft’s New Kid. If you ever doubted whether a “comic” could…

From Padma's list on families with incarcerated members.