Books to Foster a Sense of Humor in Your Child by Lee Littlewood on Creators.com

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Books to Foster a Sense of Humor in Your Child

Parenting magazines and websites have recently been praising the benefits of humor in children's lives. Helping kids foster their sense of humor gives them lifelong, healthy coping mechanisms to deal with stress, disappointment and peer pressure. Laughter, as they say, is the best medicine. These new books will bring on the guffaws.

"Chief Rhino to the Rescue" by Sam Lloyd; Henry Holt/Macmillan Children's Publishing; 32 pages; $14.99.

Author and artist Lloyd has created a goofy place called Whoops-a-Daisy World in her books, "Doctor Meow's Big Emergency" and "Mr. Pusskins." In the latest bold and bright picture book, which looks similar to the Curious George tales, Chief Rhino and his crew rush to a fire — but it's "only the candles on Great-Granny Wrinkle's hundredth birthday cake."

With a hilarious disgruntled look and a cake-splattered backdrop, Chief Rhino feels bad. Great-Granny Wrinkle, however, lightens the mood with a giggle and tells him that old elephants don't have many teeth left, so mushy cake is perfect.

Lloyd's super-friendly page spreads offer amusing tot-friendly details in the animal-centered Whoops-a-Daisy World.

"Chicken Dance" by Tammi Sauer; illustrated by Dan Santat; Sterling Publishing; 32 pages; $14.95.

Chickens Marge and Lola are on a mission: to win the farmyard talent contest and claim two tickets to see Elvis Poultry in concert. A goofy-fun barnyard romp of a dance contest shows cows jumping over the moon and ducks surfing in a water trough, but the real hilarity ensues when Marge and Lola forget their act and instead engage in "regular chicken stuff."

When a jumpsuited, sunglasses-wearing Elvis Poultry shows up, he's impressed, and christens the pair his new chicken dancers.

Witty details — a cow with a clown wig, the girls' unfortunate attempt at tightrope walking and an Elvis-inspired song list with "Jailhouse Bawk," "Heartbreak Henhouse" and "Keep Away From the Hounddog" — add to the fun.

"Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus" by Kristen Tracy; Random House; 304 pages; $16.99.

Tongue-in-cheek humor shines through in this honest portrayal of life as a fourth-grader with issues common to most kids.

Camille McPhee is hypoglycemic and has to carry around her own cooler; she worries her parents will divorce and thinks her beloved cat is lost. But Tracy's incredibly lighthearted, kid-friendly writing makes it all seem "hopeful," as Camille's mother reminds her. After all, she can count gifted reading, a new friend and eating banned foods on her positive list.

Need a funny read starring a spunky, determined middle-grader? "Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus" is it.

"Rapacia: The Second Circle of Heck" by Dale E. Basye; Random House; 384 pages; $16.99.

"Heck, Where Bad Kids Go," the first installment of this unique new series for kids ages 9 to 12, was deemed "a very funny debut" by The Wall Street Journal.

With occasional spot art by Bob Dob and a snarky tone, Basye's second book in the series is underscored by a timely message about consumerism and greed. Starring two smart, determined kids named Marlo and Milton, "Rapacia" finds Marlo in a circle where greedy kids are tormented by an out-of-reach shopping mall. Meanwhile, Milton is back on Earth, but can't seem to get his body and soul to hold together.

Sound crazy? It is, but with tons of humor and underlying depth.

"The Book That Eats People" by John Perry; illustrated by Mark Fearing; Tricycle Press; 32 pages; $15.99.

A book that eats people? What could be more ridiculous? And kids love the ridiculous. Perry's boldly red-and-yellow picture book warns, "This is NOT a storybook. It is NOT a book of rhymes. It isn't a how-to book or dictionary. It's a book that eats people," with a picture of a saliva- and sharp-toothed-filled mouth. It gets funnier and more outrageous after that, delivering warnings about how a Judge tried to reform the book and how the book burped after gobbling down little Victoria Glassford.

Similar to a comic book with super active illustrations, the visual oomph adds to Perry's completely wacky but hilarious picture book.

To find out more about Lee Littlewood and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.