Welcome, Kidlit Haha-ers!
There’s nothing in the Kidlit community that celebrates the funny like Brittany’s Kidlit Haha Week and I am so honored to be included in this year’s lineup.
So, you’ve stumbled across an incredible idea but just can’t figure out how to connect with the reader––we’ve all been there! This was precisely the scenario when I began writing nonfiction picture books. My first attempt was more or less a list of facts. I know what you’re thinking––what editor doesn’t want a running list of facts with no story arc, tension or emotion?! Turns out, all of them.
It wasn’t enough for an audience to read what I thought was fascinating information, I needed them to feel fascinated too. It was time to dig deeper.
Write Honestly
I had to start by tapping into what excited me rather than what I thought would excite publishers. Especially navigating this new genre, staying true to myself was the only way to find my way through.
As an author of funny, quirky stories I wasn’t sure I had a place in nonfiction. Finding my voice felt odd and stilting because I kept trying to take on a serious, professional, nonfiction tone. In short, I wasn’t being honest with myself.
I was trying to emulate what I thought nonfiction should be mixed with a smidge of imposter syndrome––which left me feeling a bit…
Uncovering the structure for my nonfiction was like trying to catch an eel with my bare hands. Weaving in facts weighed down my story rather than adding levity. I had to go back to the drawing board––A LOT.
Forty-NINE times actually.
[Anyone else hear the principal from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off here?]
I was trying to write what other people wanted instead of what I wanted. Writing from this inauthentic POV squashed what excited me about the piece in the first place–imagination meets real life. The story I was researching was like Roger Rabbit where real life and cartoons co-exist. I was captivated!
I started again, this time with the fantastical, the whimsy, the pure creative genius that, I felt, made the story worth telling. And the draft wrote itself.
Reframing
Now, I had an honest draft but it still wasn’t connecting. The point of view (POV) was off. Here’s where the funny really shines. Even if you don’t consider yourself funny, or if you do but haven’t written a funny manuscript, we all have an inherent sense of fun or playfulness which is just a way to reframe funny.
Humor is subjective for this very reason––it can be reframed in so many ways––in-your-face, outrageous, gross, slap-stick, dry, witty, sarcastic and many more.
I had to go through my story AGAIN to really focus on the outlandish, the ludacris, the over-the-top, and when I found it I had to orient my story to that True North. In short I did an entire rewrite with a new narrator to really turn up the humor which helped me uncover the hook.
Add A Hook
Humor is contagious so if you can add this layer you’ll hook your audience.
Let’s work through an example. Say we’re working on a nonfiction book about birds. My mind immediately goes to facts––boring, dry facts––the killer of stories, the glazer of eyes. UNLESS, it’s done right and by right I mean with a hilariously-humorous hook!
So, what’s funny about birds?
- They do that weird thing where it looks like they’re feverishly cleaning their armpits.
- They evolved from these wild weirdos.
- And they have beady eyes that move chaotically yet somehow are always staring.
Okay, anything grab you?
Let’s lean into those beady eyes. We can add a bird staring at the reader with more feral intensity as the book goes on. The narrator becomes increasingly distracted, preoccupied and creeped out until he can’t stand it! Meanwhile, we’ve deftly inserted bird facts along the way, kept the kid engaged and learning all while laughing like a loon. Sneaky and funny. Way to go!
The kid will request this book again and again, because he loves birds, sure, but because we made it fun, playful, and funny by adding this hilarious layer.
And sometimes when none of these elements work I have to remind myself to ease up and let the story flow.
Don’t Try So Hard
If trying to make a subject funny isn’t working for you, look for what’s already odd, strange or ridiculous. Nature is weird and so are people.
If you’ve got a nonfiction idea you’ve been mulling over but you’re stumped on how to connect with your audience try one of these elements and see where the wind or the googly eyes take you!
We’ll be watching.
Kidlit HaHa Week is giving away one copy of THE LAW OF BIRTHDAYS (US ONLY)
AND…
Brenna is generously offering winner’s choice of a 30-minute Ask-Me-Anything zoom or a PB Critique Fiction or NF (non-rhyming) to one lucky #KidlitHaHa Week participant.
To enter, comment below with your favorite funny nonfiction children’s book before Apr 7, 2025 12pm ET.
Brenna is a neurodiverse Kidlit creator, kid at heart and the author of The Law Of Birthdays. She co-hosts the Kidlit podcast You May Contribute A Verse is represented by Sharon Belcastro at The Belcastro Agency. When she’s not writing, you can find her rock climbing or road-tripping with her husband and son in their VW van.
Tuktuk: Tundra Tale is a literary factual book – the story of a trickster outsmarting larger animals. https://www.amazon.com/Tuktuk-Tundra-Tale-Arbordale-Collection/dp/1628558806/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.NfQ-JjZecRMU8No0idTILJcbdhNpFCgPKGhaxutjXlvGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.IvnaknftMQDfiZJEFmbbkzKsnNYz8Q14SAi24PTim6g&qid=1743517030&sr=1-1
Thank you so much for this fun and helpful post! This is my 1st year coming across Kidlit Haha Week and this post has me so motivated to get revising with these tips in mind! I loved Roger Rabbit as a kid, and thinking about writing funny NF in that frame of mind is so exciting! My household loves the Bethany Barton I’M TRYING TO LOVE humorous nonfiction books, like I’M TRYING TO LOVE SPIDERS.
Oh my gosh, yes! Those books are great! And I’m so glad the post was helpful! Thank you for reading!
Thank you for reminding me about I’m Trying to Love Spiders! I didn’t realize there were so many other books in the series. I’ll have to check them out!
P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever – is one of my favorites. It’s so clever on so many levels.
Thanks so much for focusing on humor in kid lit, especially picture books. I’ve been looking forward to #KidlitHaHa Week for a lot longer than I’ll ever admit 🙂
Great advice from an amazing writer!! Fabulous, Brenna! I love The Blob Fish! So funny!
Thank you, Becky!
Haha!! Amazing!!
Thanks for the tips! I love humorous nonfiction! One of my favorites is Brains! Not Just a Zombie Snack by Stacy McAnulty.
Yes, yes, yes!! That one is so good!
Battle of the Brains by Jocelyn Rish comes to mind.
Thank you so much for this post! As someone who writes nonfiction for kids, I’ve been wondering about how to incorporate more humor, and this has given me lots of great ideas 🙂
Lauren, this made my day! I’m so glad it was helpful!
I’m so inspired by your write up. Thank you Breanna! I clearly don’t read enough non-fiction books to have a favorite. But after reading this, going to be reading a whole lot more.
Yay!!! Thanks for reading, Claudine!
This was a great post! Thanks for sharing your tips! My current favorite funny NF PBs are Abi Cushman’s. I think Wombats Are Pretty Weird is great.
Abi is the QUEEN!!!
Thank you, Brenna! Great post! One of my favorite funny nonfiction books is 13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue Heavenrich, ill. David Clark
Thank you, Kim! Yes, that’s a great one!
I think the Our Universe series my Stacy McAnulty are great humorous nonfiction picture books. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your tips.
Thank you for reading!
Omg! This information was exactly what I needed to hear. It answers so many questions I had about writing NF with humor!! Thank you!
And forgot to mention one of my favorite NF books right now is Moon! Earth’s Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty
Oh my gosh, I’m so glad this was helpful!
Thank you for the inspirational and helpful post, Brenna! I love your story, The Law of Birthdays, and the fun way you share the idea of choice.
Heidi!! Thank you so much!!
Love this post, thank you! Pluto Gets the Call by Adam Rex is among my favorites.
Yes!! Great book!
Great tips, especially to write what excites us. I love scrolling up to see everyone’s favorite nonfiction PBs!
Yes! Thanks for reading!
Thank you for the motivating post and ideas! I am eager to go through some of my NF ideas that just haven’t been speaking to me recently and see what humour can do for them! And I love Stacy McAnulty’s universe series – so much space fun!
Yes! This is so exciting!! So glad the post was motivating!
Thanks for the info. I’m a very literal thinker and I really have to push myself. My funny fav is “good eating:the short life of krill”.
Thank you for reading!
Thank you for the great post =)
Thanks for reading, Angel!
Thanks for the post. Wombats are Pretty Weird, is a favorite.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for a great piece! Right now, I’m reading the classic If You Give A Mouse a Cookie series to my class and so that’s the humor that’s on my brain 💖
Thanks for reading!
This is full of great advice! Thank you!! My favorite is Napoleon vs. The Bunnies by J F Fox and Anna Kwan
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this post! I love to write non-fiction and your suggestions on how to avoid being that boring old dry fact book are so helpful!
Oh my gosh, Kim, this made my day!!!
So smart, Brenna!
Thank you, Jenna!!
Great post!! Thank you for the tips. I love Our Universe series by Stacey McAnulty.
Thanks, Ryann!
Like Joni, I’m a fan of Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill (Matt Lilley / Dan Tavis). Another favorite is Flower Talk: How Plants Use Color to Communicate (Sara Levine / Masha D’yans). I agree that nature can be pretty funny…when the creatures aren’t eating each other, anyway.
Haha! Agree! Thanks for reading!
You’ve given me some great food for thought on how to make my nonfiction better! A favorite book that’s not been mentioned here yet is Stinkbird has a Superpower (Jill Esbaum/Bob Shea). Thanks Brenna!
I’m so glad, Cindy! Thank you for reading!
Great article, Brenna! I love our quirky world and all it has to offer. I think you’d love The Three Little Tardigrades by Sandra Fey – so smart and funny!
Hi Brenna,
Great post! Thank you for sharing! I’ll take these tips to go back and take another look at my works in progress. I ordered your book and look forward to reading it!
I love Parrotfish Has a Superpower and Stinkbird Has a Superpower by Jill Esbaum, Illustrated by Bob Shea and Wombats are Pretty Weird and Flamingos are Pretty Funky by Abi Cushman.
This is hilarious, Brenna!! And I love all your writing tips here! One of my favorite funny non-fiction books would probably be Bugs Don’t Hug.
Your tips could apply to fiction too! Thanks for these! I love Abi Cushman’s Flamingos are Pretty Funky. And one that’s coming out later this year that I’m excited about is How Rude! Animals That Burp, Toot, Spit, and Screech to Survive by Chana Stiefel.
Great post, thank you! Humor is such a great way to grab kids’ interest and I’m looking forward to picking up tons more tips during KidlitHaHa Week!
I resonate with remembering not to import the “important” voice, or anything that’s not quite authentic. Dial way up, recognize what’s weird and write what interests you! I’ll try!! In the meantime, digging into Butt or Face? By Kari Lavelle
THIS BOOK IS DEFINITELY NOT CURSED by Megan Woodward had my kids rolling! We had so much reading this one. It DEFINITELY IS my favorite!
This is fantastic advice! Thank you so much! I am writing a informational fiction PB at the moment and will incorporate this! One of our household favorites is Butt or Face by Kari Lavelle. BUTT we definitely need to read more non-fiction as well! 🙂
Thank you for the informative post! One of my favorite humorous non-fictions books is A History of Underwear with Professor Chicken by Hannah Holt.
Thank you for sharing. I needed to read this. I love Flamingos are pretty funky: a not so serious guide by Abi Cushman
This is going to be so much fun! I’ll shyly take the opportunity for self-promotion of my newly self-published NF PB biography that I hope is as spunky as it’s subject-but I guess it should be my favorite. THE AMAZING ELLA: The Inspirational Story of the First Female Optometrist in the United States (I promise the book is funnier than the title.)
Thanks for this great post! This is maybe more informational fiction but I love The Day Moon and Earth Had an Argument.
Thanks for this great article. I have just started exploring writing non-fiction and had never given a thought to humorous non-fiction. Consequently, I have no recommendation for a book, but after reading all the comments, I now have a list of books to read and check out.
Thanks for the inspiration! I am a little intimidated by writing NF manuscripts, but have been trying to write one about weeds for some reason, lol. Sometimes a story just speaks to us and wants to be written. I hope this week’s post can assist me in making this manuscript humorous! A recent NF fav is One Day This Tree Will Fall by Leslie Barnard Booth.
Thank you for sharing your honest struggle as you found your voice in NF. Truly, it is good to know I am not alone with the imposter syndrome. A family favorite funny NF at my house is Butt or Face? (I have two boys, so this is right up our alley). Thanks again for sharing your craft and your writing journey with us. I sincerely appreciate it!