Judy Sierra, author of wild and funny books for kids


Get ready to read in bed—
The Sleepy Little Alphabet
A Horn Book Magazine Best of 2009!


CLICK TO SEE a very little girl read the book very very well on YouTube!
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Knopf, June 2009.

“In this winning alphabet-cum-bedtime book, capital-letter parents gradually tuck their lowercase children in for the night. . . Parents and children, librarians, teachers, and students will pore over this one again and again.”
—School Library Journal

“Sierra's reliably commendable verse teams with quirky illustrations from Sweet to produce an alphabet-bedtime hybrid with plenty of appeal for families. . . Capital!”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Using humor perfectly tuned for the two- to five-year-old audience, Sierra and Sweet’s alphabet book will capture the attention of the younger end (who are beginning to learn letter shapes) as well as the older (who will pick up on the sometimes understated use of words beginning with those letters in both text and art). . . The jaunty text and subversive humor in this hybrid alphabet book/​bedtime story will certainly lead to repeat readings and new discoveries.”
—Horn Book (starred review)


This is a PDF file. Educators' guide to using THE SLEEPY LITTLE ALPHABET and other books by Judy Sierra (446.9KB)

Illustrated by J. Otto Seibold. Knopf, August 24, 2010.

"Seibold’s vivid computer illustrations, replete with comic touches, are a perfect match for Sierra’s zany tale. Reluctant readers familiar with the bold imagery and comic timing of after-school cartoons will be glued to this inspired collaboration."
--School Library Journal, July 2010


Thelonius Monster's Sky-High Fly Pie,Illustrated by Edward Koren. Knopf, 2007

Thelonius Monster's Sky-High Fly Pie has been nominated for the California Young Readers' Award for 2010-2011. Thelonius, the scruffy monster, is an all-around generous and good-natured fellow on a quest to find good recipe for a favorite food—flies! You can sing along to the tune of "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly."

Coming Soon: ZooZical!!
A sequel to the New York Times #1 bestseller, Wild About Books
Fall 2011


Wild About Books. Illustrated by Marc Brown. Knopf, 2004.

When the Springfield librarian, Molly McGrew, by mistake drives her bookmobile into the zoo, she immediately gets the animals hooked on reading, finding that special book for each one--tall books for the giraffes, small books for crickets, even waterproof books for the otters. The animals begin writing their own books. They win literary awards (the Zoolitzer Prize) and build their own branch library right there at the zoo. Judy Sierra and Marc Brown dedicated this book to Dr. Seuss. Can you find all the references to his life and his books in Wild About Books?

Preview the Weston Woods animation DVD from Scholastic

Random House Children's Books
For information about appearances by Judy Sierra

For Students and Teachers: Learn More About these Bestselling Books

Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf! Illustrated by J. Notto Seibold. Knopf, August 2010
Finally! They said it would never happen. The Big Bad Retired Wolf makes things right with the Three Little Pigs.
Wild About Books. Illustrated by Marc Brown. Knopf, 2004.
Librarian Molly McGrew drives the bookmobile into the zoo, and soon the animals are reading, writing, and building their own branch library.
The Sleepy Little Alphabet. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Knopf, 2009
This ABC book is also a bedtime story. Big letters try to put their little letters to bed, but the little letters are not cooperating. How will it end? Only Z knows for sure.
The Secret Science Project that Almost Ate the School. Illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Simon & Schuster, 2007.
When a girl finds a genetically-altered science fair project on Professor Swami's web site, catastrophe is just one mouse click away.
Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf. Illustrated by J. Otto Seibold. Knopf, 2007.
B.B. (Big Bad) Wolf is old now, and has retired to the Villain Villa Senior Center. Is it too late for him to mend his ways and make new friends?
Antarctic Antics. Illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. Harcourt, 1998.
Emperor penguins tell about their lives in wacky verse.
Counting Crocodiles. Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. Harcourt, 1997.
Fifty-five silly crocodiles learn manners from a clever monkey, while children learn to count from one to ten and back again.
Schoolyard Rhymes Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Knopf, 2005.
Kids, parents and grandparents will enjoy reading these favorite playground rhymes together.
Monster Goose. Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Harcourt, 2001.
What's happened to sweet old Mother Goose? She's grown a pair of fangs, and is rewriting all the old favorites in scary new ways.