Jason Savio

Jarrett Krosoczka is taking a leap of faith.

The popular children’s book author, illustrator and Worcester native has put aside the colorful characters from his previous creations to focus on a much more personal and real story in his latest graphic novel.

Addiction and loss – these are topics you wouldn’t expect from the guy who made comical books about a lunch lady and a series called Platypus Police Squad, but they can be found in the sprawling Hey, Kiddo, a graphic memoir that chronicles the hardships Krosoczka endured while growing up in Worcester and how he eventually fell in love with his escape: drawing.

“As I was traveling the country, visiting these schools on book tours, it wouldn’t matter what school I was at – it wouldn’t matter if I was in a rural or urban or suburban setting – every single place I went to, there was an adult that would pull me aside and say, ‘We’ve got kids here that are just like you. They are dealing with the exact same stuff that you were dealing with,’” said Krosoczka.

The “stuff” Krosoczka was dealing with he made public for the first time during a TED talk in 2012, in which he described his mother’s struggles with heroin addiction, her incarceration and how his grandparents eventually took custody of him and raised him.

“It took so many people by surprise because I was the Lunch Lady guy to them,” he said, referring to his popular book series. “This guy who’s making these happy books, funny, silly stories.”

But after hearing stories of children going through similar struggles, Krosoczka’s thoughts on writing Hey, Kiddo changed from a story that he “might want to write” to “a story that I needed to write.”

At 300 pages long, Krosoczka certainly covers a lot in Hey, Kiddo, from the dark and troubling times to the few, but cherished, heartwarmingly sweet moments in between. He is not afraid to illustrate his mother at her worst or be heartbreakingly honest with his prose. There are curse words; there is blood; it’s all done with the mindset to be as sincere and real with readers as possible. 

When asked if he had any apprehension about releasing the book, Krosoczka confessed that he did.

“Yeah, because it’s a story that’s a lot heavier and a lot more tense than my other stories,” he said. “But it was a risk worth taking because I knew the kids needed a story like this. I’ve heard from so many young people already at my book signings that are so appreciative that they can see their experience (through the book).”

Now 40 years old, Krosoczka has a family of his own and lives in Northampton. But he recalls his time growing up near Webster Square Plaza in Worcester fondly. He remembers venturing to local comic shop That’s Entertainment when he was kid and oftentimes taking the “pretty significant walk” to get his books when he didn’t have a ride. 

He cites Spider-Man and Batman as some of his favorite comic books, with a special soft spot for Jim Lee’s X-Men run in the early ’90s. His own work, though, is more reflective of the comic strips he used to read in his grandfather’s newspapers, like Peanuts, Garfield, and Calvin and Hobbes.

“I would read the comic strips in the newspaper every single day, and I just devoured that stuff,” he said.

That love for comics showed in Krosoczka’s own art, and his grandparents would end up sending him to take classes at the Worcester Art Museum.

“I always liked to tell stories with words (and) with pictures,” he said. 

Krosoczka recalls an art teacher bringing in children’s picture books for him to look at during his senior year in high school.

“These beautiful pieces of art that led me on the path to write picture books,” he said.

After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1999, Krosoczka submitted his work to book publishers for two years and received two years’ worth of rejections before eventually getting his first book published at the age of 23, Goodnight, Monkey Boy.

As Krosoczka writes in the author’s note to Hey, Kiddo, his grandparents, Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka, were both still living to see him get his first book published and accomplish the dream that they helped him reach. They have since passed on, but, in their memory, Krosoczka has created the Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka Memorial Youth Scholarships at the Worcester Art Museum to help kids who come from unique familial situations of their own get involved in art.

With his 39th and 40th book already slated for release in 2019, including the next installment in his Jedi Academy series, Krosoczka continues to be busy. Hey, Kiddo, however, is a standout in his catalogue. Not only has it garnered positive reviews and become a National Book Award Finalist, it is also a full-circle reconciliation with his difficult youth and past. 

With his leap of faith rewarded and doubt put to rest, Krosoczka can take a sigh of relief, knowing he has a story that is transcending all he’s done before and one that is helping others.

“When you put a story out there, a book out there, you really don’t know how it’s going to be received,” he said. “And it’s been overwhelmingly well received.”

For more information, visit studiojjk.com.