Using Humor in Children’s Books

For me, the saddest plays, movies, or books aren’t the ones that are dark and depressing throughout, because over time you build up a resistance to the bleakness. Instead, the ones that always gets me are the stories that have you laughing throughout, with a sad twist toward the end.

Kids Love to Laugh

Laughter is incredible. It allows us to open ourselves up, and let our guards down. It builds trust and affection between those who share it. Often, when writing for kids, there is some sort of lesson or message that you hope to impart. But whereas adults might finish reading something even if the moral is heavy-handed or obvious, kids are more honest (sometimes pronounced “brutal.”) If your story is little more than a standard life lesson with a new coat of paint on it, I believe your audience will check out before you’ve gotten to the good stuff.

But if you can make kids laugh, they just might be more receptive to what you’re trying to say.

So how can you add humor to kids’ books? There are many ways, illustrated by authors far more talented and successful than I am:

 Use Funny Words

First of all, there's language. Dr. Seuss was a master at creating his own language filled with nonsensical words (obsk,gluppity-glup, zizzer-zazzer-zuzz) and playful phrases ("I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them, Sam I Am!"). These phrases are not only fun to say (or listen to adults struggle to say), but by the time they’re done laughing, the listener doesn’t even realize they’ve been taught a valuable lesson about environmentalism (“The Lorax”), equality (“The Sneeches”), or even democracy (“Yertle the Turtle”).

Twist the Plot 

Then there's plot. Children's book authors have a way of creating situations that are ridiculous, or just plain absurd. Take "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales" by Jon Scieszka, for example. The book is a collection of fairy tales with a twist, featuring characters like the Really Ugly Duckling and Little Red Running Shorts. The stories are silly, but they inspire creative thinking, and are often a springboard for kids to develop their own fractured fairy tales.

Funny People 

Of course, humor in children's books wouldn't be complete without memorable characters. Think of the mischievous Pippi Longstocking, the precocious Junie B. Jones, or the always-hungry Greg Heffley from the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. These characters are funny, relatable, and sometimes even a little bit ridiculous, but they're also endearing and memorable. Children can see themselves in these characters, and that makes them want to keep reading.

 Obviously, it won’t always be appropriate to add humor to a story. But when you can get your young readers laughing, the results are nothing short of magical.