Kids love when they think they’re smarter than adults, don’t they? Try putting your shirt on as pants or wearing your shoe as a hat and they’ll double-over with laughter at your stupidity.
Similarly, in writing, having a clueless narrator produces sure-fire giggles. Knowing more than the protagonist is like being in on a secret joke with the author. It’s one of the keys to writing humor for children.
But one of the biggest mistakes in writing humor, according to Executive Editor Steve Meltzer, is random humor—humor that doesn’t serve to drive the story forward but exists merely as a gag. “Even the absurd needs to make sense and be believable,” said Meltzer. He then read BETTY BUNNY LOVES CHOCOLATE CAKE as an example of humor that feels effortless and works within the context of the story. When Betty Bunny’s parents tell her she’s a “handful” so often, she thinks it’s a term of endearment and tells her mommy she’s a “handful” right back. (Of course, I’m rushing out to buy the book right now! I know, I’m a handful!)
Remember when writing picture books for kids, your audience includes parents, too. Some humor should be for their benefit. Think of the old Bugs Bunny cartoons—watch them now and there are jokes that certainly went over your head as a child. Pixar films also have a unique way of delivering entertainment that parents enjoy. (Like in “Finding Nemo” when Nemo is waiting to sabotage the filter. The dentist goes to the bathroom and Peach says, “Potty break! He grabbed the Reader’s Digest! You’ve got 4.2 minutes!”)
Mr. Meltzer also reminded us to take advantage of page turns because “they’re the writer’s rimshot.” Page turns should be surprising and fun. They create suspense: “And then…” [page turn] “BAM!” Hit them with your best [rim]shot.
Audrey Vernick and Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich also examined humor in picture books and suggested “take something we all know and insert something absurd that doesn’t belong…the unfamiliar in the familiar.” Audrey did just this in her debut IS YOUR BUFFALO READY FOR KINDERGARTEN?. The humor in the book happens when the buffalo goes to school, helping to ease readers’ fears about the first day of Kindergarten.
Other ways to add humor to your stories include having a funny sidekick, inserting a running gag, and taking the joke beyond the typical expectation of three. When the joke happens a fourth time, it’s hilarious because we already thought it was over after the third instance.
Misunderstandings, like those literal translations in Amelia Bedelia are also humor winners. Comic wordplay is another technique to try. Combine words, create new words, use funny sounds (onomatopoeia). My debut picture book is THE MONSTORE—a store where you buy monsters. The mashed-up title signals that this will be a funny book. (At least I hope you’ll think it’s hilarious!)
So, are there other humorous devices you like to use in your writing?
10 comments
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June 9, 2011 at 8:55 am
beckylevine
SO needed this. Trying to get my PB hero to trick the grown-up and have it funny for both the kid listening and the parent reading. And have it fit in with both their characters. I’ll check out these titles.
June 9, 2011 at 9:55 am
Linda Lodding
Great posting, Tara! I’d add that the picture book writer should also try to leave room for the illustrator to add their own visual humor. Sometimes the giggle point can be found in a wordless spread, for example — or as a visual contradiction to what’s being said on the page. Looking forward to reading THE MONSTORE!
June 9, 2011 at 9:59 am
Tara
Great point, Linda. In my newest manuscript there are a few wordless spreads and I’m leaving it all up to the illustrator to have a lot of fun! Illustrations which show the opposite of what’s being said are great giggle-producers.
June 9, 2011 at 10:01 am
Corey
OMG, that Betty Bunny story was so funny! I have to rush out and buy it too!
June 9, 2011 at 10:07 am
Catherine Johnson
A perfect example of unfamiliar in the familiar is a book I got the other day from the library. The Snagglegrollop. It was a normal story about a boy that wanted a dog and wham bam this delicious monster entered the scene and had my son in stitches. So simple yet effective. I must get your book!
June 9, 2011 at 1:39 pm
emcoulton
Tara – thanks for this! I long to write a humorous PB- cuz those are the ones I love to read! It’s harder than it looks….so thank you for this valuable advice!
June 9, 2011 at 4:16 pm
Joanne Fritz
I agree with em that funny PBs are hard to write! I’ve been trying. And trying… Great recap of two of my favorite workshops at the conference, Tara! I especially loved the give-and-take between Audrey and Olugbemisola, and they illustrated an excellent point — that what’s funny to one person may not be funny to another person.
In Steve Meltzer’s workshop, what amazed me was how long Betty Bunny was! After years of attending workshops where editors beg for shorter and shorter PB mss, they’re finally coming around and realizing you might need more than 500 words to flesh out your story!
June 10, 2011 at 4:50 am
Kathleen Isaac
Thank you so much for this – I often try and create stories where the unfamiliar is in the familiar but as Em and Joanne say it is tough!! Another perfect example (and one of my favourites) is Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins – where the text is minimal and relatively run of the mill, but when read alongside the illustrations becomes hilarious!
Glad the conference was so interesting, I am very much looking forward to the next one in the UK!
June 10, 2011 at 6:44 am
Barbara
Loved Steve’s talk. He’s got great taste in humor.
He is also a really nice person to boot!!
June 17, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Heather Lambie
I know I’m really late to the game w/ this comment, but I loved this session too! (saw you there!) So many great tips! Hope you’re doing well, Tara!