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Bruce Lansky

Author profile

born

June 01, 1941

gender

male

genre

Children's Books, Humor

About this author

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I was born on June 1, 1941. My first home was an apartment in Manhattan's Upper West Side, a neighborhood that overlooked the George Washington Bridge. Soon after kindergarten, my family moved to Scarsdale, which seemed to be “in the country.” In high school, I broke my ankle when I went out for the lacrosse team, so I wrote a sports column for the school newspaper. I don't think I showed any particular talent for writing then.

I went to St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. I actually learned to read Greek (I didn't understand it, though). I transferred from St. John's to New York University, so I could study political science and economics. I graduated with a major in philosophy and a minor in English. My first job was a market resear...more I was born on June 1, 1941. My first home was an apartment in Manhattan's Upper West Side, a neighborhood that overlooked the George Washington Bridge. Soon after kindergarten, my family moved to Scarsdale, which seemed to be “in the country.” In high school, I broke my ankle when I went out for the lacrosse team, so I wrote a sports column for the school newspaper. I don't think I showed any particular talent for writing then.

I went to St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. I actually learned to read Greek (I didn't understand it, though). I transferred from St. John's to New York University, so I could study political science and economics. I graduated with a major in philosophy and a minor in English. My first job was a market researcher for a beer company in New Jersey. Over the next five years, I switched jobs several times: advertising copywriter, advertising account executive, and marketing manager at a candy company.

I married Vicki and we had a baby, Douglas. I wanted him to have a home surrounded by grass and trees and ball fields, so I accepted a job in Minnesota, and Doug got a baby sister, Dana. What rescued me from poverty was that my wife and some other mothers wrote a cookbook. We published it ourselves, and it was a huge hit. That's how I figured out that I wanted to be a publisher when I grew up. We built Meadowbrook Press, and I became an author of baby name books and humor books for adults.

Ten years ago, I wanted to put together a children's book of all the poems they loved best. To find these poems, I tested poems in elementary schools. As I was testing poems on children, I decided to write a few to see what the response would be. At first it wasn't that good, but as my writing improved, I added my poems to new books. To get them just right, I'd rewrite them over and over. I've now edited six poetry anthologies and filled three books with my own poems. Because I spent a lot of time reading and testing poems in classrooms, schools started inviting me to perform. I've now performed at hundreds of schools. My goal to put on the most entertaining, most educational, and most motivating assembly a school has ever had. My web site, http://www.gigglepoetry.com, helps kids discover the fun of reading and writing poetry.

Language arts are a very important part of what you learn in school. You can read great books that take you to far-away lands. You can write your own stories and make yourself the hero of exciting adventures. Even if it seems hard sometimes, don't give up. Keep practicing your reading and writing skills, and soon it will become easier. There are so many wonderful worlds to explore in books and poetry. Get your very own passport by learning to read and write the very best that you can.

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Books by Bruce Lansky

Average rating: 3.81 · 1,144 ratings · 260 reviews · 112 distinct works

	Girls to the Rescue #1 3.77 avg rating — 183 ratings — published 1995 — 12 editions	My rating:
	100,000+ Baby Names: The Most Complete Baby Name Book 3.58 avg rating — 86 ratings — published 2004 — 6 editions	My rating:
	Kids Pick The Funniest Poems by Bruce Lansky (Editor), Stephen Carpenter (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.00 avg rating — 73 ratings — published 1991 — 2 editions	My rating:
	If I Ran The School: 24 Funny School Poems 3.26 avg rating — 68 ratings	My rating:
	Best Baby Name Book In The Whole World 3.39 avg rating — 66 ratings — published 1984 — 4 editions	My rating:
	Girls to the Rescue #2 4.04 avg rating — 48 ratings — published 1996 — 8 editions	My rating:
	Bad Case Of The Giggles, A : Kids' Favorite Funny Poems by Bruce Lansky, Stephen Carpenter (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.03 avg rating — 38 ratings — published 1994 — 6 editions	My rating:
	No More Homework No More Tests by Bruce Lansky, Stephen Carpenter (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.32 avg rating — 34 ratings — published 1997 — 5 editions	My rating:
	Girls to the Rescue #3 by Bruce Lansky, Lansky 3.89 avg rating — 35 ratings — published 1997 — 7 editions	My rating:
	Mary Had a Little Jam and Other Silly Rhymes by Bruce Lansky, Stephen Carpenter (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.29 avg rating — 31 ratings — 4 editions	My rating:

More books by Bruce Lansky…

Series by Bruce Lansky

Girls to the Rescue (7 books)
by Bruce Lansky

3.88 avg rating — 360 ratings

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Quotes by Bruce Lansky

“Too Busy

I've folded all my laundry
and put it in the drawer.
I've changed my linen, made my bed,
and swept my bedroom floor.
I've emptied out the garbage
and fixed tomorrow's lunch.
I've baked some cookies for dessert
and given dad a munch.

I've searched the house for pencils
and sharpened every one.
There are so many things to do
when homework must be done.”
― Bruce Lansky

tags: humour

3 people liked it

“My Teacher Sees Right Through Me

I didn’t do my homework.
My teacher asked me, “Why?”
I answered him, “It’s much too hard.”
He said, “You didn’t try.”
I told him, “My dog ate it.”
He said, “You have no dog.”
I said, “I went out running.”
He said, “You never jog.”

I told him, “I had chores to do.”
He said, “You watched TV.”
I said, “I saw the doctor.”
He said, “You were with me.”

My teacher sees right through my fibs,
which makes me very sad.
It’s hard to fool the teacher
when the teacher is your dad.”
― Bruce Lansky

tags: humour

3 people liked it

“What I Found in My Desk

A ripe peach with an ugly bruise,
a pair of stinky tennis shoes,
a day-old ham-and-cheese on rye,
a swimsuit that I left to dry,
a pencil that glows in the dark,
some bubble gum found in the park,
a paper bag with cookie crumbs,
an old kazoo that barely hums,
a spelling test I almost failed,
a letter that I should have mailed,
and one more thing, I must confess,
a note from teacher: Clean This Mess!!!!”
― Bruce Lansky

tags: humour , school

2 people liked it

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