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Humor in Children's Writing

© Sue Reichard

Kids love to laugh and if they can find an author who can keep them laughing, they will keep on reading.

But I'm not funny, you may think. Observation is the key to fine tuning comic elements for children. Know what works best for the various age groups. You can begin by reading humorous stories and books for children.

Try to discover what makes you laugh. Focus on funny incidents. Watch some children's TV. What is making them laugh? Sometime sit down with a pad and pencil and take notes on what they are watching and why they enjoy it.

You can create humor in stories from the character of the protagonist or from the situation of the moment or even from the dialogue and how it is spoken.

In picture-book writing, especially those geared for very young children, the humor needs to be simple, direct and obvious. Repetition is an element to develop a humorous story line. In the all time favorite,The Pokey Little Puppy, humor in repetition is achieved through repeated mischievious behavior by the puppy.

The element of switching appeals to middle grade readers. Dad accidently putting sugar into his eggs instead of his coffee while reading the paper is a much loved routine.

Exaggeration is another mode to present humor. Tall tales are always favorites with youngsters. An example is Eeyore, who is a gloomy character but who is humorous at the same time. Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs by Judy Barrett incorporates both exaggeration and extreme in her much loved book.

Indecision by a main character in a story can be used to deliver humor. Children from three to ten can probably identify with this character flaw.

Wordplay is another element that can be incorporated into a story to make children laugh. Tongue-twisting character names, puns, nonsense words and phrases delight young ears. Jack Prelutsky is a master of this type of humor. Hurrah For Diffendoofer Day is his latest contribution to children's literature.

If all else fails, remember that kids love things people and objects that are plain gross and yucky! How To Eat Fried Worms was and still is a huge success. The dark humor of the Goosebumps series also adds to its appeal to young readers.

Study the elements of comedy like you do the elements of writing and you just might catch the editor's eye!!