Brian P. Cleary (born October 1, 1959) is an American

humorist A humorist is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking. A raconteur is one who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way. Henri Bergson writes that a humorist's work grows from viewing the morals of society ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, and

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

. He is best known for his books written for grade-school children that explore grammar in humorous ways; he also controls a line of gift books for grownups. He is the senior editor for digital content at American Greetings, and his greetings have been performed by

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

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Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

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and others.

Early life, education and career

Cleary was born in

Lakewood, Ohio Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Established in 1889, it is one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs and part of the Greater Cleveland, Cleveland metropolitan area. The popula ...

, one of nine children, attended elementary school in three different states (Kansas, Minnesota and Ohio) and graduated from Saint Ignatius High School, a Jesuit boys-only

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

high school in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. He graduated from

John Carroll University John Carroll University (JCU) is a Private university, private Jesuit university in University Heights, Ohio, United States. Located in a suburb of Cleveland, it is primarily an undergraduate, liberal arts college, liberal arts institution compo ...

with a degree in communications in 1982. Since 1982, he has worked for

American Greetings Corporation American Greetings Corporation is a privately held American company and is the world's second largest greeting card producer behind Hallmark Cards. Based in Westlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, the company sells paper greeting cards, electronic ...

—one of the largest creative divisions in the world—where he is currently the senior editor, working on greeting cards, songs, and electronic greetings. He has toured more than 500 elementary schools in the U.S. and Europe as a visiting author making presentations to students and staff.

Writing

Cleary created the best-selling "Words are CATegorical" series for grade school readers, a 27-volume set with more than 3 million copies in print published by

Lerner Publishing Group Lerner Publishing Group, based in Minneapolis in the United States, U.S. state of Minnesota since its founding in 1959, is one of the largest private sector, independently owned children's literature, children's book publishers in the United Stat ...

. Kirkus Reviews praised his book on Adjectives, as, "Neat, clever, commnendable, and groovy." " He has also written humor essays for national and local magazines and newspapers. His cartoon writings have been published in more than 600 newspapers worldwide. His books have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. His poetry has been anthologized alongside

Jack Prelutsky Jack Prelutsky (born September 8, 1940) is an American writer of children's poetry who has published over 50 poetry collections. He served as the first U.S. Children's Poet Laureate (now called the Young People's Poet Laureate) from 2006 to 200 ...

Kenn Nesbitt Kenn Nesbitt (born February 20 1962) in Berkeley, California, is an American children's poet. On June 11, 2013, he was named Children's Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. He was the last one to receive this title before the Poetry Foundat ...

, and

Lemony Snicket Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American author Daniel Handler and a fictional character of his creation. Handler has published various children's books under the name, including ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', which has sold over 60 millio ...

in a collection tilted "One Minute Till Bedtime," published by Little, Brown Books, 2016. Cleary's literary influences include

Ogden Nash Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his Light poetry, light verse, of which he wrote more than 500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyme, rhyming schemes, he was declared by ''The New York T ...

Shel Silverstein Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into ...

, and E.E. Cummings.

Awards

International Reading Association The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dial ...

/ Children's Book Council Children's Choice Award *

American Booksellers Association The American Booksellers Association (ABA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States. ABA's core members are key participants in their communities' local economy and culture, and to ...

Kids' Pick of the List *Benjamin Franklin Award (First Place) *Society of School Librarians International Book Awards, Honor Book

Bibliography

All of Cleary's children's books have been published by Lerner Publishing Group and are written for grades K-6.

"Words are CATegorical" Series

Cleary's best-selling "Words are CATegorical" series include 27 titles, published from 1999 to 2015.

"Sounds Like Reading" Series

An 8-book series written for 1st graders and "English as second language" students, published in 2009. * ''The Bug in the Jug Wants a Hug'' * ''Stop, Drop, and Flop in the Slop'' * ''The Nice Mice in the Rice'' * ''The Frail Snail on the Trail'' * ''The Thing on the Wing Can Sing'' * ''Whose Shoes Would You Choose?'' * ''The Peaches on the Beaches'' * ''The Clown in the Gown Drives the Car with the Star''

"Math is CATegorical" Series

A 7-book series that introduces math concepts to 3rd graders. * ''The Action of Subtraction'' * ''The Mission of Addition'' * ''How Long or How Wide? A Measuring Guide'' * ''On the Scale, A Weighty Tale'' * ''Windows, Rings, and Grapes: A Look at Different Shapes'' * ''A Fraction's Goal: Parts of a Whole'' * ''A-B-A-B-A: A Book of Pattern Play''

Work Appearing in Poetry Anthology

* ''One Minute Till Bedtime'' (Little, Brown 2016)

Other Lerner Book Titles

* ''Eight Wild Nights: A Family Hanukkah Tale'' (Carolrhoda Picture Books series) * ''Peanut Butter and Jellyfishes: A Very Silly Alphabet Book'' (Millbrook Picture Books series) * ''"Mrs. Riley Bought Five Itchy Aardvarks" and Other Painless Tricks for Memorizing Science Facts'' (Adventures in Memory series) * ''Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry'' * ''The Laugh Stand: Adventures in Humor'' * ''Rhyme & PUNishment: Adventures in Wordplay''Rhyme & PUNishment official publisher page
/ref> * ''The Punctuation Station'' * ''Six Sheep Sip Thick Shakes: And Other Tricky Tongue Twisters'' * ''The Sun Played Hide-and-Seek; A Personification Story''

Books for Adults

* ''You Oughta Know by Now'' (Perseus 2010) * ''100 Things Worse Than Divorce; A Fun Reminder That Things Aren't as Bad as They Could Be'' (Fab-u-List Series 2021) * ''100 Ways Your Life Could Actually be Worse; A Fun Reminder That Things Aren't as Bad as They Could Be'' (Fab-u-List Series 2021) * ''100 Things You Should Know by the Time You're 40; Funny, Quirky, Pithy Bits of Wit and Wisdom'' (Fab-u-List Series 2021) * ''100 Things You Should Know by the Time You're 50; Funny, Quirky, Pithy Bits of Wit and Wisdom'' (Fab-u-List Series 2021) * ''100 Things You Should Know by the Time You're 60; Funny, Quirky, Pithy Bits of Wit and Wisdom'' (Fab-u-List Series 2022) * ''100 Signs You Might be Irish; Observations, Wit & Wisdom About the Ways of the Irish'' (Fab-u-List Series 2021) * ''100 Reasons Cats Are Better Than People: Scientifically Questionable Examples of Feline Superiority Over Humans'' (Fab-u-List Series 2022) * ''100 Reasons to Hang in There: A LightHearted, Encouraging Look at What Makes Life Worth Living'' (Fab-u-List Series 2022)

References

External links

The World of Brian P. ClearyLerner Publishing Group official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleary, Brian P. Writers from Lakewood, Ohio Writers from Cleveland American children's writers Living people 1959 births John Carroll University alumni American humorists American humorous poets American male poets Saint Ignatius High School (Cleveland) alumni