

Jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through drawing even as so little is being said to him about what's going on. Jarrett lives with his grandparents - two very loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they were through with raising children until Jarrett came along.

His father is a mystery - Jarrett doesn't know where to find him, or even what his name is. His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and in and out of Jarrett's life. But Jarrett's family is much more complicated than that. In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka's teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy and a daddy. Hey, Kiddo was a finalist in the 2018 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, and it won the 2019 Harvey Award for Book of the Year.The powerful, unforgettable graphic memoir from Jarrett Krosoczka, about growing up with a drug-addicted mother, a missing father, and two unforgettably opinionated grandparents. Weston Woods produced an animated adaptation of Krosoczka’s Peanut Butter and Jellyfish. Additional film and television options for Krosoczka’s work have been with DreamWorks Animation, Walden Media, and MGM. A Universal Studios movie based on Krosoczka's Lunch Lady series was in development with Amy Poehler in the lead role. In 2003, Krosoczka was chosen by Print as one of their 20 Top New Visual Artists Under 30. Krosoczka was also an instructor at Montserrat College of Art for four years. (He had been submitting for two years at that point.) His first book, Good Night, Monkey Boy, was published on June 12, 2001, by Random House. Krosoczka later went on to graduate from Rhode Island School of Design, and received his first book contract six months after graduation. The scholarships provide tuition to underprivileged children who are in unique familial situations. He also established the Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka Memorial Youth Scholarships at the Worcester Art Museum in tribute to his grandparents. The "J" in his professional name is in tribute to his late grandfather.

He saw his mother only sporadically throughout his childhood, and didn't learn the truth about her addiction until he was in the fourth grade. Krosoczka was raised entirely by his maternal grandparents, Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka, who took legal custody of him when he was three because of his mother's drug addiction. Krosoczka ( / k r ʌ ˈ z ɒ s k ʌ/ krə- ZOSS-kə) (born December 22, 1977, in Worcester, Massachusetts) is the author and illustrator of a several graphic novels and picture books, most famously his Lunch Lady series. National Book Award finalist ( Hey, Kiddo) Krosoczka at the 2015 National Book Festival
