As a library technician, I worked in school, public, and law libraries for over twenty years. I learned a key thing while in those various library settings.
Kindergarteners cry less than lawyers. Of course I’m joking (kinda). But this brings me to the topic I’d like to explore: why funny reads are PURfectly serious. Specifically, I’m talking about humorous picture books and my time working in an elementary school library (AKA the day job), but my thoughts on stories with laughs apply to adult fiction and adult readers as well. Indeed, up until now, I have been writing horror/thriller/action novels for young adults, with dark comedic moments, sure, but also filled with scares and blood and moments of dread. So, yeah, my debut picture book, A Tale of Two Kitties, has been a first for me on many levels:
Anyway, getting back to the topic…Why stories with laughs are heavy hitters in my books. Reading picture books to elementary school classes, all week long, on warm spring days when they’d much rather be outside, and on freezing winter ones when they were stuck inside, I discovered the best way for me to wrangle in the kiddos was to hook them with laugh-out-loud reads. Thanks be to writers and illustrators who do humour well. A funny story can capture those little souls for a few glorious minutes of belly laughs. It can spark interest in something new, inspire a struggling reader to seek out more books by that author or illustrator. Or it can simply give a child a much-needed boost. That’s powerful, serious stuff. I wanted to write and illustrate those kinds of stories. Because laughing matters. But I was like Mittens and Boots in KITTIES, comfortable in my little writing world and not sure I wanted things to change. At first I took baby steps, just like those two contrary cats, and soon my skills improved by leaps and bounds. It took years of writing and sketching and scraping pieces and starting again, but I don’t regret stepping out of my comfort zone. Not one bit. I haven’t abandoned horror like it was an old cabin in the woods. I’m still writing scary tales. I just have more options when it comes to storytelling. More room to swing a cat, so to speak. Speaking of, I can’t believe A Tale of Two Kitties is ready to pounce onto bookshelves. Life’s funny like that, eh? ~~ Thanks for reading! Now for the authorly things. Here’s the KITTIES book trailer if you’d like to have a boo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhhoZwUbNJ4 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sassylassiedesigns/ My website: https://judithgraves.com/ Judith Graves is an award-winning young adult fiction writer (Exposed and Infiltrate: Retribution Series with Orca Book Publishers) as well as a screenwriter and illustrator. A firm believer that fiction can be action-packed, sassy, and yet hit the right emotional notes, Judith writes stories with attitude. She lives in Summerside, Prince Edward Island with her husband and fur-babies. A Tale of Two Kitties is her debut picture book. Comments are closed.
|
Picture Books, Eh!We write, illustrate and support Canadian, and we're releasing picture books in 2024! Follow us for news on Canadian PBs, regular blogs by Canadian PB creators, and more. |