Jon Agee

Jon Agee is the well known author and illustrator of over 30 picture books including Terrific, Milo’s Hat Trick and most recently the acclaimed, The Wall in the Middle of the Book. He grew up in Nyack, New York, just up the street from the Hudson River. As a child he always had an art project on the go. He made picture books, comics, and – as a ten-year old, living in England – flip-books out of London tube ticket stubs. His fascination with language led to a slew of wordplay books, including four collections of palindromes, most notably: Go Hang a Salami! I’m a Lasagna Hog!

Jon lives with his wife, Audrey, in San Francisco. In his spare time he doodles, writes tongue twisters, anagrams, and poems, as well as visiting schools across the country and sometimes across the globe.

2016 Irma Black Award
ALA Notable Book
New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice

Praise for The Wall in the Middle of the Book

This picturebook from the launch list of Scallywag Press demonstrates how much can be done with few words and simple pictures… The book also has a wider resonance: about demonising strangers, preconceived ideas and the folly of a wall.

The Sunday Times

Did you know…

As a child Jon wrote books with the help of his mum. He drew the pictures and told her the story and she wrote the words.
When he was a child he loved Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Winnie the Pooh and Edward Lear’s Book of Nonsense.
Jon’s story The Retired Kid is inspired by real life. He says, one day I saw a bunch of kids getting off a school bus and they were all weighed down with backpacks, suitcases, trumpet cases, lunch boxes, art projects, etc., and I thought — wow — it's hard work being a kid!

Find out more on Jon Agee's website