The case for funny books

Recently I was attending a webinar overview of a new online product with digital books for kids. Overall, the product was nice, and will fill a need, but my antennae went up when the presenter claimed that the books they included were "educational."

On the surface, the idea of sharing books that children learn from is great, right? So what gave me pause?

The best books, in my opinion, are the books kids want to read. The books they enjoy. Books that are engaging, and make you want to keep turning pages. Often, they will learn something new, but even if they don't, they've improved their reading skills through practice. Win! If that book is scary, exciting, action-packed, or funny - if kids want to read it, it's good. That's why, when the presenter emphasized how educational the books were, with little comment about whether or not they were engaging for kids, I wondered. Educational is great, but will kids enjoy them?

For me, what makes a kid pick up a book is not what they will learn, but how the book make will make them feel.

Scary books, books with lots of action, historical fiction, stories of contemporary life - they're all important. But especially important right now, I think, are books that make us LAUGH.

Sometimes, funny books aren't given as much credit as their more serious counterparts. We have a tendency to undervalue humor in favor of subjects with more gravity - or that are more "educational?" But in my opinion humorous stories should be held in just as high regard.

The world is a challenging and increasingly scary place. Laughter gives us a break, lets us experience moments of joy, and even lower our stress levels a bit.

This book is SO FUNNY.

Remember those videos that went around a few years ago about the circus that performed in a refugee camp? The smiles and laughter on the faces of those children? Humor is important. Laughing and smiling is important.

Not only does laughing make us feel better, it has ACTUAL HEALTH BENEFITS. You've heard the phrase "laughter is the best medicine?" Well, I don't know if that's true for every illness, but laughter is absolutely A medicine. Laughter and humor can improve your child's language and literacy skills. It encourages bonding and resiliancy. It helps us see things from different perspectives. In school it can increase retention.

We NEED to laugh, so we NEED funny books.

The books I tend to choose for storytime are funny. The books I write are funny (at least to me). One of the best feelings in the world, for me, is when I read a book out loud and it causes a child to explode into giggles. If I can make their parents laugh too? BONUS.

So read your funny books. Write your funny books. Share your funny books. It's needed now more than ever.

STAY TUNED FOR A POST WITH MY FAVORITE FUNNY READ-ALOUDS!