Milford author uses humor to get kids to read
“I’m hoping the kids who are reluctant readers will read the books and say, ‘ That’s hilarious.’ Let me find out what really happened.”
Alan Katz, Milford author
MILFORD — Bestselling author Alan Katz said one of his most rewarding experiences is when teachers say he has i nspi r e d chi l dren t o have a n i nt e r e st i n r e adi ng.
“I’ve had teachers come up to me with their arms around a ki d, s ayi ng, ‘ This is Bobby. He r e f uses t o r e ad but he wil l r e ad your books, and we thank you.’ That’s what I l ove, ” s a i d Katz, 63.
Katz i s t he aut hor of nearly 50 books, and has been nomi nat e d s i x t i mes f or dayt i me Emmy Awards. Most of his writ i ng is f or chi l dren.
Three of hi s most r e c e nt books, which are coming out on Oct. 1 5 , a r e bi ographies in a s e r i e s c a l l e d “Li e ographies. ”
While the books, recommended f or 7- t o- 1 0-year - ol ds, consist of made-up l i f e st or i e s of f a mous people, t hey a l s o c ont a i n f ac t s . They’re desi gned t o ge t chi l dren i nt e r e st e d in r e adi ng, ac c or di ng t o Katz.
Recent books
Katz s a i d t he purpose of t he “Li e ographies” s e r i e s i s “not t o f ool , misl e ad or misi nf or m them, but i nst e ad, t o ge t t hem t o r e ad a nd be e nt e r t a i ned by what t hey’r e r e adi ng, ” he s a i d. “Hopefully, it ’ l l pi que t hei r i nt e r e st a nd t hey’ l l s ay, ‘ I had a good time reading. Now, l e t me go l e a r n about t hese people. ’ ”
The f i r st t hree books i n t he s e r i e s a r e about Amelia E a r - hart, Thomas E dison and Babe Ruth. E ach of the books has pages at t he e nd t hat i nclu de real f ac t s about t he subj e c t s .
Katz s a i d i f he c a n ge t t he chi l dren t o r e ad, t hat ’s st e p one.
“If you c a n ge t t hem t o l augh, t hat ’s st e p t wo. If you c a n ge t t hem t o t a ke t hei r c uri os it y a nd go l e a r n more, t hat ’s gr e at , ” he added. “I’m hoping the kids who a r e r e luct a nt r e aders wil l read the books and say, ‘ That’s hi l a r i ous. ’ L e t me find out what r e a l ly happened.”
Also coming out this month i s t he short st or y c ol l e c t i on, “Really St upid St or i e s f or Really Smart Kids. ” It c ont a i ns 2 0 st or i e s f or chi l dren ages 7 t o 1 1 , and i s publi shi ng Oct. 6 by Running Press i n Pennsylvania.
One of t he st or i e s i s about a “s mell i ng bee” i nst e ad of a s pel l i ng bee. Another i s about a day when it snowed snowmen, with “a blizzard of snowmen f a l l i ng f r om t he sky. ”
Getting creative
When thinking up creative i deas f or t he subj e c t matter,
humor was the key f ac t or, Katz s a i d. The st or i e s a r e desi gned to make children l augh, he s a i d.
“They a r e r e a l ly r i di c ul ous , outr ageous, ” he s a i d.
Katz a l s o wrote t he best s e l l e r “Take Me Out of the Bathtub,” which has about 3 million copies i n pri nt s i nce it came out 20 year s ago.
He said he enjoys i nspi r i ng chi l dren t o t r y writ i ng.
When he vi s it s s chool s , “I say, ‘ How many writers are in this room?’ Sometimes people yel l , ‘One.’ I s ay, ‘ No, you’r e a l l writ e r s , ’ ” he s a i d. “The ki ds r e a l ly ge t i nt o it . By t he e nd, t hey s ay, ‘ I ’m go i ng t o writ e a book.’ ”
Katz has vi s it e d s chool s in about 3 0 st at e s . Si nce he has writ t e n t hat hi s f avor it e food c a nt a l oupe, t he s chool s of t e n “have a n a r r ay of c a nt a l oupe f or me,” he quipped.
He has a l s o writ t e n t wo poet - r y books. Afte r r e adi ng hi s poet r y, ki ds s e nd hi m t hei r poems, saying, ‘ L ook, I can be a poet , t oo, ’ ” he s a i d.
“‘Of c ourse, you c a n, ’ I t e l l them,” he added.
Writing at 16
is
A nat ive of Queens, N.Y. , Katz l ive d in Weston f or 2 6 year s , and moved to Milford l a st year. He and his wife, Rose, a j ournal i st , have f our gr own chi l - dren.
He began writing comedy when he was 16.
At Francis L ewis High School in Fresh Meadows, N.Y., beginni ng at t he age of 1 6, he wrote j okes for Henny Youngman, a comedian known f or hi s Borscht Belt comedy and humor.
“I would mail him 20 onel i ners. He would c i r cl e t hree and send me a check f or $ 2 1 . My parents would always say, ‘How do you know he’s not using the others?’ and I would s ay, ‘ You got t o t r ust hi m.’ He kept buying the j okes from me all throughout my time i n c ol - l e ge. ”
Katz now is a f ul l - t i me author who writes for TV and advert i s i ng from home.
He has also delved i nt o nonf i c t i on. His nonfi c t i on books, which he wrote l a st year, a r e on s c i e nce a nd t e chnolog y.
“E ach book has prof i l e s of 1 2 people who i nvented t hi ngs t hat ki ds def i nit e ly use or have ac - cess to ever y day — l i ke t he r e mote c ont r ol , l i ke t he microwave, l i ke windshield wipers. Afte r you r e ad t he st or y about t hi s pers on i n a n upli f t i ng way, t here a r e t hree or f our pages of humor r e l at e d t o t he i nventi on.
“So, a f t e r you l e a r n, you l augh,” he added.
Next steps
Upcoming projects i nclu de a s i x- book s e r i e s for young reade r s about a superhero subst it ut e t e acher c a l l e d S.O. S. ( Soci e t y of Substit ut e s) . The f i r st t wo books i n t he s e r i e s wil l be r e - leased i n Ja nuar y 2 021 .
“Ever ybody l i kes funny st uf f, ” s a i d Katz, wit h r e gar d t o hi s i nt e r e st in writing humor. “If you can make people laugh or share a j oke or writ e s omething that makes people have a good t i me, t hat ’s ver y appeali ng t o me.”
To read more about Katz, vi s it a l a nkatzbooks.c om.