Brian Cleary

Born in Lakewood, Ohio, American humorist, writer and poet, Brian P. Cleary has 2 million books in print. The Academy of American Poets lists his biography, along with Whitman, Emerson, Shel Silverstein and Robert Frost.

A frustrated student and reluctant learner, Cleary daydreamed his way from class to class until being introduced to poetry in third grade. Ogden Nash, e. e. cummings, Lennon McCartney - even the bawdy musical lyrics in the Marx Brothers' comedies set him on a course to explore and celebrate the wonder of words. Ironically, he is now found back in the classroom, as he's shared his love of our rich language with 80,000 students in 40 states.

He has written cartoon gags which have appeared in more than 600 newspapers worldwide, and written humor essays for national and local magazines and newspapers, and has had an award winning children's book read on Minnesota Public Radio.

Since graduating from John Carroll University with a degree in communications in 1982, he has worked in one of the 5 largest creative divisions in the world, American Greetings, where he currently holds the title of Senior Editor on the Humor Staff. He has worked on licensed properties from Garfield to Opus and Bill to Ziggy to Nickelodeon characters.

The Clown in the Gown Drives the Car With the Star:
A Book About Diphthongs and R-controlled Vowels (Sounds Like Reading)

by Brian P. Cleary (Author), Jason Miskimins (Illustrator), Alice M. Maday (Contributor) Reading level: Ages 9-12 Library Binding: 30 pages Publisher: Millbrook Press (April 2009)

The Frail Snail on the Trail: A Long Vowel Sounds Book With Consonant Blends (Sounds Like Reading)

by Brian P. Cleary (Author), Jason Miskimins (Illustrator), Alice M. Maday (Contributor) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Library Binding: 30 pages Publisher: Millbrook Press (April 2009)

by Brian P. Cleary (Author), Jason Miskimins (Illustrator), Alice M. Maday (Contributor Reading level: Ages 4-8 Library Binding: 32 pages Publisher: Millbrook Press (April 2009)

The Peaches on the Beaches: A Book About Inflectional Endings (Sounds Like Reading)

by Brian P. Cleary (Author), Jason Miskimins (Illustrator), Alice M. Maday (Contributor) Reading level: Ages 9-12 Library Binding: 30 pages Publisher: Millbrook Press (April 2009)

The Thing on the Wing Can Sing: A Short Vowel Sounds Book With Consonant Digraphs
(Sounds Like Reading)

by Brian P. Cleary (Author), Jason Miskimins (Illustrator), Alice M. Maday (Contributor)
Reading level: Ages 4-8 Library Binding: 30 pages Publisher: Millbrook Press (April 2009)

Whose Shoes Would You Choose?:
A Long Vowel Sounds Book With Consonant Digraphs
(Sounds Like Reading)

by Brian P. Cleary (Author), Jason Miskimins (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Library Binding: 30 pages Publisher: Millbrook Press (April 2009)
ISBN-10: 0822576406 ISBN-13: 978-0822576402

by Brian P. Cleary (Author), Brian Gable (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8 Library Binding: 32 pages
Publisher: Millbrook Press (March 2009)

Reading level: Ages 4-8 Library Binding: 32 pages Publisher: Millbrook Press (October 2008)
ISBN-10: 0822578506 ISBN-13: 978-0822578505

What is a synonym? It's hard to explain but easy to show and that's just what this book does, in rhyming, comical verse that will have readers giggling as they learn. Cartoon cats guide readers through the tricks of words that are practically, nearly the same in this lighthearted celebration of language.

by Brian P. Cleary (Author), Brian Gable (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Paperback: 32 pages Publisher: First Avenue Editions (September 2008)

Brian P. Cleary and Brian Gable, author and illustrator of the best-selling Words Are CATegorical series, bring their trademark sense of humor to the subject of subtraction, proving that sometimes, less is really more. The comical cats show young readers the basic concept of taking one number away from another. Funny illustrations and examples make learning to subtract as easy as 3, 2, 1!

The author has used the format of his popular Words Are CATegorical books (Millbrook) to look at mathematical functions. Subtraction is explained in rhyming text and simple, silly cartoons with excellent examples that range from angry bulldogs, hornets, and bowling pins to pieces of birthday cake, sports time-outs, and stuffed animals. The text is actually a rap that would be fun for students to memorize and perform. ... Erlene Bishop Killeen, Fox Prairie Elementary School, Stoughton, WI Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Lime, a Mime, a Pool of Slime: More About Nouns (Words Are Categorical)

by Brian P. Cleary (Author), Brian Gable (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Paperback: 32 pages Publisher: First Avenue Editions (September 2008)

One book couldn't possibly be enough to cover the topic of nouns. The cats are back with their comical examples to drive home to readers just what a noun is. Specific types of nouns - such as abstract nouns and proper nouns - are also introduced in this giggle-a-page expansion on the topic.

This title presents students with yet more rhymed and seemingly random nouns than those in Cleary's A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun? (Carlhoada, 1999). Each spread contains a playful sentence elaborating on the topic, with each noun highlighted in a bright color. Friend is a noun,/and so is your dad,/ice cream/and bagels/and Boston/and Brad. Gable's loose watercolor cartoons depict each noun (as well as the series' signature big-nosed cats, of course). Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

by Brian P. Cleary (Author), Brian Gable (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Library Binding: 32 pages Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group (September 2008)

In this wacky look at weight, Brian P. Cleary and Brian Gable introduce essential measurement units - from grams to pounds to tons. The comical cats of the wildly popular Words Are CATegorical series show how to measure trucks, trains, ducks, cranes, and more. Peppy rhymes, goofy illustrations, and kid-friendly examples make light work of this heavy topic.

In rousing rhyme, this addition to the Math is CATegorical series explores weight measurement. ...The clear and humorous examples drawn from life enable kids to understand easily and then apply the information. For those just beginning the numbers adventure, this one tips the scale.

Lazily, Crazily, Just a Bit Nasally: More About Adverbs (Words Are Categorical)

by Brian P. Cleary (Author), Brian Gable (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Millbrook Press (February 10, 2008)

One book is never enough to explore the incredibly wide range of adverbs! The goofy cats crazily deliver loads of additional examples to entertainingly illustrate the power of adverbs, including phrasal adverbs. Brian P. Cleary's playful verse and Brian Gable's comical cats magically turn traditional grammar lessons on end. Each adverb is cleverly color coded to help readers identify adverbs of manner, adverbs of time, and more. Read this book aloud and share the delight of the sense and nonsense of words.

The CATegorical cats are back. A professorial feline opens this offbeat lecture with a definition of adverbs and a color-coded guide to the types found throughout the book. Readers are then drawn into another of Cleary's signature rhyming narratives, which tumbles across each page verbally and visually. .... -Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI

by Brian P. Cleary Reading level: Ages 9-12 Library Binding Publisher: Millbrook Press (May, 2006)
ISBN: 157505860X

Cleary describes and illustrates antonyms from the obvious stop and go, yes and no, front and back, fast and slow, to the more obscure: excite and soothe, hefty and diminutive. He elaborates on reasons for celebrating opposites and also describes how to create them through the use of powerful prefixes .... Kathleen Meulen, Blakely Elementary School, Bainbridge Island, WA Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

by Brian P. Cleary, Brian Gable (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8 Library Binding: 32 pages
Publisher: Millbrook Press (June 1, 2005)
ISBN: 1575058596

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

The team behind the Words Are CATegorical series (Carolrhoda) offers the first in a series about math. Through playful rhymes, the book explains basic concepts such as, .....Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How Much Can A Bare Bear Bear?: What Are Homonyms And Homophones? (Words Are Categorical)

by Brian P. Cleary, Brian Gable (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8 Library Binding: 32 pages Publisher: Millbrook Press (September 1, 2005)
ISBN: 1575058243

by Brian P. Cleary, Brian Gable (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8
Library Binding: 32 pages Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (November 1, 2004)
ISBN: 1575057964

With their comical cartoon characters and Seussian rhymes, Cleary and Gable have already claimed their niche for providing grammar instruction in a clear, lighthearted manner. Useful for introductory lessons on the topic, this book will help teachers to model better writing and to demonstrate the value of an expanded vocabulary. ... While students may still struggle to come up with more original word choices of their own, this excellent text goes a long way toward establishing the importance of synonyms.–Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT

...With the slapstick art enlivening things ... this will be a fun read-aloud, and kids will certainly get the message that words are not boring. Hazel Rochman Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

Mrs. Riley Bought Five Itchy Aardvarks and Other Painless Tricks for Memorizing Science Facts (Adventures in Memory)

Reading level: Ages 9-12 Library Binding:
48 pages Publisher: Millbrook Press (October 2008)

ISBN-10: 0822578190 ISBN-13: 978-0822578192

With so many things to remember and so little time, what's a kid to do? Brian P. Cleary has come up with a whole book of tips for how to tackle tricky science facts. This book is bursting with mnemonic devices, poems, songs, and more. Need to keep track of the order of the planets? Mel can help. As in: Mel's Very Excited Ma Just Served Us Nachos. How about photosynthesis? Sing a song about it to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"! Brian also explains how kids can use the ideas in the book to create their very own memory tricks.

by Brian P. Cleary, Brian Gable (Illustrator) School & Library Binding: 32 pages Publisher: Carolrhoda Books; (February 2004)
ISBN: 1575055961

Cleary's mission is to make the serious side of language-arts classes more fun, and, to a large degree, he succeeds. ...'" A strong purchase for school or public libraries needing to update their 400s sections.–Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Words Are Categorical series, which began with Cleary's A Mink, a Fink, and Skating Rink: What Is a Noun? (1999), this slim volume offers a child-friendly introduction to pronouns.... The cartoon-style ink drawings brim with irrepressible humor, while the bold use of color in the artwork adds to the high-spirited look of the pages. Colored letters make the pronouns easy to identify in text that dance across the pages. An energetic, cheerful addition to grammar lessons. Carolyn Phelan Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

by Brian P. Cleary, Neal Layton (Illustrator) School & Library Binding: 32 pages Publisher: Carolrhoda Books; (April 2003)

Mixing a solid introduction to poetry with amusing examples, Cleary invites readers to "Come romp with me amongst the words./Come play amongst the phrases./Swing and climb from pun to rhyme/And hop through verse mazes." ...Laura Reed, Kitchener Public Library, Ontario, Canada Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Scribbled, wobbly pictures on paper sprinkled with confetti dots are the perfect accompaniment to this lighthearted poetry collection. Cleary knows just what topics to put into verse: school ("Report Card," "Spanish Lessons"), food ("Ode to Peanut Butter and Jelly"), sports ("My Brother Joe"). In the mix are examples of limericks, haiku, concrete poetry, parody, alliteration, and even the villanelle, all of which Cleary explains in footnotes that also add other interesting bits about the poems. Cleary, to his credit, is not entirely tasteful, ensuring giggles and guffaws along with his information about verse form and function. Grace Anne DeCandido
Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

by Brian P. Cleary, Brian Gable (Illustrator), Reading level: Ages 4-8 Edition: School & Library Binding
ISBN: 0876149247

Another of the author's rhyming romps through parts of speech, this book offers a nearly nonsensical look at the role of adverbs. ...The energy and sheer razzmatazz of the text and graphics will have young grammarians entranced. Pair Cleary's titles with Ruth Heller's titles, including Up, Up and Away: A Book about Adverbs (Grosset & Dunlap, 1991), for solid and engaging instruction in the basics of language. Dona Ratterree, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

by Brian P. Cleary, Brian Gable (Illustrator) Publisher: Carolrhoda Books; ; (April 2002) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Edition: School & Library Binding

"Prepositions show us where, like in your bed, beside the chair " With snappy rhyme and comic illustrations, Under, over, by the Clover: What Is a Preposition? marks the fourth book in the Words Are Categorical series by Brian P. Cleary, illus. by Brian Gable. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Brian P. Cleary has already sailed through nouns, verbs, and adjectives in such books as To Root, to Toot, to Parachute: What Is a Verb (2001). Here, in rhymed couplets, the cast of doglike animals in unlikely colors takes on prepositions: ....The teal, purple, orange, and pea-green creatures lift weights, drive trucks, dance, and even go to Timbuktu in pursuit of their chosen part of speech, and children will enjoy and learn from the ride. GraceAnne A. DeCandido Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

The fourth in a series about the parts of speech, this book explains that a preposition "connects a noun or pronoun to other words in a sentence." ...Wendy S. Carroll, Montclair Cooperative School, NJ Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

by Brian P. Cleary, Jenya Prosmitsky (Illustrator), (April 2001) Carolrhoda Books; 32 pages )

"Jog or juggle, jig or leap, Verbs can tire you out a heap." Author Brian P. Cleary and illustrator Jenya Prosmitsky have teamed up again to give young readers a grammar lesson in To Root, to Toot, to Parachute: What Is a Verb?, a worthy companion to A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun? and Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective? Prosmitsky's signature silly cats act and act and act! Aspiring writers will know by the end of this book that, "If it's an action, it's a verb!" Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

For children who believe learning grammar can't be fun, here's something fresh to consider: a sparkling look at verbs ("words that show action or being") that might just change their minds. It's not the writer's first dance with elements of the English language. He's tackled other grammar basics in previous books. But there is something special about this verbal adventure. Cleary's energy and sunny choice of words make the book lively and delightfully bright, a feeling reinforced by the action-packed illustrations scattered across the pages. Children can use the book in class or at home with help from a grown-up. The author proves once again that "educational" doesn't have to mean dumpy and dull. Kelly Halls Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

by Brian P. Cleary, Jenya Prosmitsky (Illustrator), 32 pages (September 2000) Carolrhoda Books;

The team that brought us A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun?(1999) turns its attention with equal felicity to defining adjectives in this antic, illustrated poem. ... Prosmitsky's amusing cartoons of silly humans and goofy cats illustrate every adjective that lurks in the text, thus reinforcing each meaning visually. Altogether, this entertaining lecture will go far to enliven and enlighten language classes as well as add to the reader's vocabulary. Neat, clever, commendable, and groovy. (Picture book. 7-9) -- Copyright 2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

"Adjectives are words like flashy, /Vibrant, bright, and somewhat trashy." A playful, rhyming text and a colorful cast of wild cartoon cats show what adjectives are and how they work (from "cold, dark mornings" to "hot pink shades"). The sound of the words, the exaggeration, and the nonsense scenarios will appeal to kids, and, with the help of an adult, beginning readers will get the idea that adjectives "modify" nouns and help tell us more about ourselves and what's around us. --Hazel Rochman

Silly, big-nosed cartoon cats on pastel backgrounds clown around with rhymed examples of adjectives, mixed with descriptions of what adjectives do: "They modify nouns in ways that help tell us/ If someone's sincere, delighted, or jealous."

Descriptive words of many kinds are presented in bouncy, rhyming text .... --Adele Greenlee, Bethel College,
St. Paul, MN

by Brian P. Cleary, Jenya Prosmitsky (Illustrator) 32 pages (September 2000) Lerner Pub Group;

This book appropriately abounds with persons, animals, places, and things, while rhymes drop broad hints about using nouns: ``Nouns can sometimes be quite proper like Brooklyn Bridge or Edward Hopper,'' but also ``A pocket, button, sleeve, or cuff A noun can simply be your stuff.'' Cleary leaves explanations of when and why some nouns are capitalized to the textbooks. Prosmitsky's funny illustrations of tubby cats link some disparate nouns and make them memorable, while a picaresque feline scene on a final two-page spread allows readers to pick out nouns on their own. (Picture book. 7-9) -- Copyright 1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

by Brian Cleary, Rick Dupre (Illustrator), (March 1996) Lerner Publications Company Library Binding ISBN: 0822521172	by Brian P. Cleary, Rick Dupre (Illustrator) (March 1996)Lerner Publications Company; Library Binding ISBN: 0822521148
by Brian P. Cleary, Rick Dupre (Illustrator), (April 1996) Lerner Publications Company; Library Binding ISBN: 0822521156	by Brian P. Cleary, Rick Dupre (Illustrator) (March 1996)Lerner Publications Company; Library Binding ISBN: 0822521164

I've visited schools in 40 states, and have appeared before more than 85,000 students. I
have also given teacher in-service presentations, typically about an hour. My school visits
typically take some form of the following, but can often be adjusted depending on your
school's needs.

Presentations are gatherings in large auditoriums or gymnasiums in which I do nearly
all the talking. I'm standing up, the students are sitting down, and I walk students
through what I read when I was their age, when I started writing, the importance of
influences, and who mine were. They are typically about 45 minutes, and about half
the information changes for the older and younger groups.

Workshops are smaller, and are only 30 minutes in length. Ideally fewer than 50
students. I have workshops for every grade except kindergartners (who, of course,
attend the large group presentation). Some examples of workshops going from lower
grades to higher grades: Making a paper noun quilt, the "verb train" game, the
rhyming pairs of nouns contest, anagrams game, the word well, acrostics poetry,
personification, sensory poem writing.

In-services for teachers are also available. Here I usually share the lesson plans I've
had the most luck with, and how I've gotten the best writing from students.

Out of town (that is, out of the Cleveland area), it's $1250 for the day plus travel (air,
hotel, meals). Within 60 miles of my home, it's $850 for the day

Check out Brian's website for more information about setting up a school visit http://www.briancleary.com