My prescription to ease school starts is a daily dose of funny books. Reading aloud and laughter are two terrific antidotes to the tension of homework demands, hectic scheduling, and transition blues. For funny books to work, timing is important. The following picture book authors have perfectly matched their books to listening and reading levels that are age and humor appropriate.
For the youngest gigglers, there's a reissue of Stephen Gammell's Once Upon MacDonald's Farm (Simon and Schuster, $15.00; ages 3-6). Gammell, an award-winning artist, has built a reputation on his unique and unusual perspective. He sets up his skewed vision of the famous farmer right from the start. " While it is true," he begins, " that MacDonald had a farm...it wasn't much of a farm, and he had no animals. None at all." Gammell's penciled drawings show an elderly farmer who lives on a spread where weeds grow unhindered and fences stand up only by leaning against each other. This MacDonald is clueless about animal selection. He acquires an elephant, a baboon, and a lion and expects them to go against their jungle instincts to give milk and eggs. He doesn't seem distressed when his livestock wanders off and farming salvation arrives quickly with a kindly neighbors gift of a horse, a cow and a chicken. But as the last picture illustrates, rescue is impossible for MacDonald, who promptly hitches his new chicken to the plow. This book is a fit for the youngest picture book audience. They enjoy knowing more than the characters, love silliness, and will appreciate the simple visual ironies.
Daniel Pinkwater is another author known for his quirky imagination. He teams up with his daughter, illustrator Jill Pinkwater, in Rainy Morning (Atheneum, $16.00; ages 4-8). Again, the humor of the story relies heavily on the character and situation.
Mr. and Mrs. Submarine, sitting cozily in their roomy kitchen on a drizzly morning feel sorry for the drenched animals outside. So they invite the cat and dog into the house and Mrs. Submarine serves them corn muffins. When they usher in the horse, "just this once" and produce more muffins, young readers will guess that this generous couple is heading down the wrong path. With the entry of a car and wildebeest and the cooking of more muffins, a predictable plot is suspect. Suddenly, Pinkwater's love of words and passion for making the impossible seem plausible change the plot and tone of the story. He whips up whimsy and amps up hilarity when Ludwig van Beethoven accepts a cup of tea and "bitte, und auch einen corn muffin". The ridiculous becomes a sublime comedy as the U.S. Marine Band and a small European circus appear and Mrs. Submarine expresses gratitude that she's bought four hundred and fifty pounds of muffin mix.
Tom Lichtenheld's Everything I Know About Pirates (Simon and Schuster, $16.00; ages 7-10) is a cross between the kind of yarns that made pirates famous and a terrible school report. Lichtenheld begins with some probable truths, but his tongue-in-cheek quipping is apparent when he labels his pirate illustration. An arrow points to the eye patch and the author explains, "eye poked out when a seagull made doo-doo in his eye and he forgot about his new hand-hook." Facts like these are perfect for an age group struggling with first school reports. Some sophistication might be needed to catch the more subtle references, like the skull and cross bones flag by Leonardo "Peg Leg" da Vinci. The book spans several ages because of these references, the blend of street and pirate lingo, the delivery of text with an attitude, and just a touch of the bathroom humor children love.
Laurie Keller's trademark is funny non-fiction books with a sense of story. In her first book, The Scrambled States of America , disgruntled states swap positions. Now she delivers dental facts with inspired invention in Open Wide:Tooth School Inside (Holt, $16.95; ages 7 and up). The book is a perfect blend of double meanings, lots of information, witty words, well-designed illustrations, and a perspective that lets readers imagine life from a tooth's point of view.
At the story's start, Dr. Flossman finds all his students are present: 8 incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars, 12 molars, and 4 wisdom teeth. Notice how Keller ingeniously snuck in types and numbers of teeth? Children won't. They'll be captured from Keller's "pledge of allegiance to this mouth and to the dentist who takes care of us" to the silly multiple choice quiz at the book's end. This book has humor that will make adults simile as Dr. Flossman, concerned about his student's deep fears, prepares them by teaching nine common reactions to cavities which include depression, self-pity and denial. The many details and wild layout require a close look for best humor results. Keller's success in humanizing states was amazing, her treatment of teeth will leave fans wondering what she'll tackle and tickle next.
Brock Cole's Buttons (FSG, $16.00; ages 7-10) is an original tale that weds classic fairy tale themes of the fool hero and the siblings searching for success. Cole turns pen and brush to sophisticated illustration and word play to create a picture book that lifts both spirit and mind. His tale begins with a man who's popped his buttons and seeks help from his daughters who are willing, if not intellectually able. The eldest plans to dress up and request a button dowry from the rich man she snags with her beauty. The second daughter will join the army for "surely you have noticed that a soldier's uniform has many, many buttons". The youngest decides to run in the meadows with her apron open "so that if any buttons should fall from the sky, I will catch them before they get lost in the tall grass." Of course all three daughters marry happily and the youngest satisfies her father's need, fulfilling both fairy tale tradition and reader satisfaction. It takes an older child to admire the rollicking word play, the genius of the story's structure, and a sense of humor more satirical than overt.
Like stand-up comics, these authors show a perfect sense of timing and succeed with both smiles and stages. For success in the battle with stress, choose a few appropriate funny books for your children, read at least one daily, or when needed to immediately improve sour moods.