From School Library Journal:
Like many of you I snuggled down the other day and watched the Oscar Award ceremony in the comfort of my own home. I was happy. I was disappointed. I was amused. I didn’t have, what you might call, particularly high expectations, so the results often pleased me. Then we got to the end of the evening and the whole world exploded. Someone at the Platteville Public Library was a genius and posted this in response:
Spine poetry at its best (sans the spines).
But looking back at the films and actors nominated, I was struck my how humorless the entries were. Not that I expect a brilliant laugh fest every year, but humor is such a difficult art. It’s a pity that the actors that master it aren’t better lauded.
You could argue that this prejudice against funny books extends to all corners of the arts. Even, heaven forbid, children’s literature. Mind you, just this past year Leave Me Alone by Vera Brosgol garnered a Caldecott Honor while The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz won an Honor on the Newbery side of things. Not all is lost. Folks still acknowledge the importance of making kids guffaw. Here then is a brief smattering of some of the 2017 picture books this year that have made ME embarrass myself in my workplace lunchroom by laughing too loudly. Humor being as subjective as it is, I can’t say that these are all the funny picture books of the year so far. Of course not. But at least you could consider them a good place to start. Trust me. I’ve a horse in this race.
Read more at School Library Journal.
Image source School Library Journal.
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