SILLY ME + Prize

by Jan Godown Annino

“There was a young woman said, ‘Howww..,”

my mother would sing in the kitchen.

My aunt would chime in with,

“can I flee from this horrible cowww?”

And my other aunt would trill,

“Shall I sit on a stile and continue to smile...”

so that my mother would finish,

“which would frighten the heart of the cowww?"

thereby completing their own particular cracked

take on Edward Lear’s rhyme.

Aunts Singing Chants

This trio left me in stitches, ladies in flowery ruffled kitchen aprons,

cutting up meat and veggies, cutting up in words and songs. (Not that

the gals couldn't argue stridently but that's a different genre of story...)

When at their best they performed Lear, Lewis Carroll, Gelette Burgess,

& the word of others with a knack for nonsense. Their making silly,  impromptu at 

holidays, directly lopes to my seeking out fun poems and hilarious picture books 

to read with BookPALS.

 If you want to read silly stories or create picture book laughs, as I attempt to, I’ve listed a few
p.b. titles & one beloved author to be daffy with. Most are newer - but not all. Beyond the books, find

resources here to explore writing with a punch line mind or,  a punch line in mind.

Silly Me Books

DUCK, DUCK, MOOSE written by Dave Horowitz (also DDM ON A PLANE)

DUCK, DUCK, MOOSE! written by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen (artist, James Burke)

No, this is not a joke. Each DDM author has set up a giggle game very different

from the other. 

Quallen, who is the co-conspirator of the popular blog Nerdy Chicks Rule, with 

Kami Kinard, puts a birthday spin & unexpected moves in her inter-species story.

Horowitz sets his characters tripping from New England to Florida & hilarity hiccups 

down the coast, so each story leaves kids feeling duckie.

Titles in this genre are silly on their face. A trick of writers & artists of these sort of picture 

books is crafting the title. It’s so crackedly perfect, it sells the story. In this list when the author isn’t
the illustrator, the artist is indicated.  The list is unruly - in no order.  It is sooooo incomplete. A taste.

Silly Me Book Lists

Nonsense! He Yelled - Roger Eschbacher (artist Adrian Johnson)

I Know A Wee Pig – Kim Norman (artist, Henry Cole)

Scaredy Squirrel  – Melanie Watt (a silly series)

Double Trouble in Walla Walla –Andrew Clements (artist Salvatore Murdoca)
Say What? Angela DiTerlizzi (artist Joey Chou)

Barry The Fish With Fingers – Sue Hendra

Parts – Tedd Arnold

Silly Sally – Audrey Wood

abundant # of titles from Theodor Seuss Geisel, Dr. Seuss

Cowboy Camp – Tami Sauer (artist Mike Reed)

Cook-A-Doode Doo! Janet Stevens/Susan Stevens Crummel (artist Janet Stevens)

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs – Mo Willems

The Bed Book - Sylvia Plath (yes, the adult poet) (artist Emily Arnold McCully)

Uncles and Antlers – Lisa Wheeler (artist Brian Floca)
Z is for Moose - Kelly Bingham (artist Paul O. Zelinsky)

Bad Kitty! - Nick Bruel (a silly series - I'm cracking up with kids over Bad Kitty! above)

The Quangle Wangle's Hat - Edward Lear (artist in this edition, Louise Voce)

The Monstore – Tara Lazar (artist James Burks)

These titles that tickled my tendons were pulled from my shelves, found in our public library, a school library, a bookstore, shared by Mandy Yates at TeacherPayTeachers who I was introduced to by Mira Reisburg & also, I turned to the resourceful blog of someone I think of as the Letter A Lady, Allison McDonald.

For emerging titles to tickle your tonsils, read Mallory McInnis on forthcoming ridiculously wonderful picture books of 2015. Bring 'em on!

If you poem-make as many of us are,  share silly titles such as Vile Verses or Really Bad Rhymes from Roald Dahl or Bruce Lansky's If Pigs Could Fly.  Illustrated poem collections in which a bug & jumping flea are medicine merit their own article, so I'll be back with that. And for chapter book & middle grade-novel writers, I'm all smiles while collecting a chuckle novels list - additions invited.

How To Do Humor?

If you would like to delve more into humor and children’s literature:

SCBWI Sid Fleischman Humor Award  plus, read his books

Dr. Seuss Garden

Mark Twain House (sponsors a writing award & classes)

Kami Kinard "Humor Cells" article & "Tell Your Tale With Humor" (with links to the 2014 Greenhouse Funny prize - stay tuned for a 2015 contest post)

Tara Lazar's NJ-SCBWI humor writing report

Carol Hurst Children’s Literature Site

Jan (no relation) Fields “Spoonful of Humor” tips from the vault of the popular

Institute of Children’s Literature (verify editor/publisher details for current contacts)
List of funny words, thanks to Leigh Ann Jasheway/Writer's Digest Books

Hot topic: see Scholastic’s humor-preference graphic (thanks to Jen Robinson for my 1st alert to it.)

And not specifically about children's lit., but see the Erma Bombeck Writing Workshop/Contest.

Silly Me Prize + Update!

By midnight Tues Jan. 13, 2015 your comment below can win a funny book for your school, local library, family or your own humor-worthy bookshelf. If you aren't a frequent commenter here let me know how to reach you when you comment & save today's blog title & URL, to quickly return HERE the Jan. 7, 2015 post, on Wed. Jan. 14, 2015, to see if you won. Good Luck!

And please feel free to comment if you don't want a prize; just say so.

The great give-away picture book title is by Edward Lear, THE OWL & THE PUSSYCAT, a favorite of the cat below. This edition is exquisitely illustrated by Jan Brett.

Contest note: Winner to be selected randomly by Ginger, fuzzy Rafflecopter substitute (with back to camera, perfecting a selection technique) & yes, Ginger is male; that's another story.  Dogs not eligible to enter. Mice afforded top consideration.

Contest Update: Ginger promises to be back with results by Wed. Jan 15, if not tonite, Jan. 14, 2015 EST.  Other good news is that for those who comment between today & next Wed. Jan. 21, there is also a prize, to be announced on Thurs Jan 22, 2015. How cool (or hot) is that?