Robert Kimmel Smith (July 31, 1930 – April 18, 2020)[1] was an American novelist and children's author.
Smith was inspired to become a writer at age eight, when he became bedbound for three months while suffering rheumatic fever and amused himself by reading books, then inventing new characters and endings for the stories.
He also took inspiration from his own childhood; Jelly Belly refers to his memories of being the fattest child in his elementary school.
[3] His other works for young readers include The War with Grandpa (1987),[4] Bobby Baseball (1989),[5] Mostly Michael (1987),[6] and The Squeaky Wheel (1990),[7] a touching but humorous story about a child coping with his parents' divorce.
War with Grandpa was made into a movie in 2020, starring Robert De Niro and directed by Tim Hill.