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[CCBC-Net] Other Humorous Books
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From: robinsmith59 at comcast.net <robinsmith59>
Date: Sun, 05 May 2002 12:18:22 -0500
I teach second grade, so Dav Pilkey is a part of my life. Until his most recent book, (Diaper Baby) I thought his work was funny because the children in my class thought his books were so funny. They would chortle and turn red while reading his books. When I got some advance copies of the newest, I shared them with some boys who had been waiting impatiently for them. Something strange happened. I would call one of these boys up to read with me and they would make a quick switch to another book as they were moving in my direction. This seemed odd, so I asked them about it. Turns out, they thought I would object to the book, even though I had, in fact, been the person who gave it to them! Upon further discussion, they said they would be embarrassed if their parents read the book with them. (for the uninitiated, the bad guy turns into, pardon me, a "piece of poo.") Did they think it was funny? Sure, but mostly they found it embarrassing. They were also very distracted by the spelling mistakes made on purpose, but that is another topic altogether. I was talking to my husband about this and he made the interesting observation, "For new readers, reading is not nearly the private activity that it might be for older kids. They read with and to other people. They need help with words. Older kids can read books privately." Perhaps these books would have been funnier had I stayed out of the mix, but that is rarely possible. Second graders have too many questions.
So, I must say that while the over-the-top plays on words of the Hallowiener and Kat Kong ARE indeed hilarious, the toilet humor of some of his other works titillate but really are not that funny.
What really cracks my class up are: Ramona breaking an egg on her head, Johanna Hurwitz's Russell playing in the bath for hours, Charley (in Rebecca Caudill's saccharin Did you Carry the Flag Today, Charley?) experimenting with a spigot for the first time, the scene in Erdrich's The Birchbark House where Big Pinch sets his bottom aflame and douses it in a pail of water, the scene where Louis stabs the zookeeper in the rear end in Lewis's The Trumpet of the Swan, just about any of the funny scenes in Horvath's The Trolls and any picture book that shows a fat, naked baby.
Fairy tales like the Comptons' Ashpet make them laugh out loud and trickster tales are a huge hit. I can read just about any version of any Jack tale and they will howl.
Robin Smith Nashville, TN
Received on Sun 05 May 2002 12:18:22 PM CDT
Date: Sun, 05 May 2002 12:18:22 -0500
I teach second grade, so Dav Pilkey is a part of my life. Until his most recent book, (Diaper Baby) I thought his work was funny because the children in my class thought his books were so funny. They would chortle and turn red while reading his books. When I got some advance copies of the newest, I shared them with some boys who had been waiting impatiently for them. Something strange happened. I would call one of these boys up to read with me and they would make a quick switch to another book as they were moving in my direction. This seemed odd, so I asked them about it. Turns out, they thought I would object to the book, even though I had, in fact, been the person who gave it to them! Upon further discussion, they said they would be embarrassed if their parents read the book with them. (for the uninitiated, the bad guy turns into, pardon me, a "piece of poo.") Did they think it was funny? Sure, but mostly they found it embarrassing. They were also very distracted by the spelling mistakes made on purpose, but that is another topic altogether. I was talking to my husband about this and he made the interesting observation, "For new readers, reading is not nearly the private activity that it might be for older kids. They read with and to other people. They need help with words. Older kids can read books privately." Perhaps these books would have been funnier had I stayed out of the mix, but that is rarely possible. Second graders have too many questions.
So, I must say that while the over-the-top plays on words of the Hallowiener and Kat Kong ARE indeed hilarious, the toilet humor of some of his other works titillate but really are not that funny.
What really cracks my class up are: Ramona breaking an egg on her head, Johanna Hurwitz's Russell playing in the bath for hours, Charley (in Rebecca Caudill's saccharin Did you Carry the Flag Today, Charley?) experimenting with a spigot for the first time, the scene in Erdrich's The Birchbark House where Big Pinch sets his bottom aflame and douses it in a pail of water, the scene where Louis stabs the zookeeper in the rear end in Lewis's The Trumpet of the Swan, just about any of the funny scenes in Horvath's The Trolls and any picture book that shows a fat, naked baby.
Fairy tales like the Comptons' Ashpet make them laugh out loud and trickster tales are a huge hit. I can read just about any version of any Jack tale and they will howl.
Robin Smith Nashville, TN
Received on Sun 05 May 2002 12:18:22 PM CDT
