I love a good spot of silliness. Shenanigans? I’m there. But in general I write from a single POV, and usually through the lens of a (hilarious) narrator. This makes it easy to maintain tone, pacing and the style of humour.
So when I started working on the Sparkle Pigs chapter book series (out now from Harper Chapters), which is told from the perspective of two very different guinea pig hutchmates who venture into the sparkly world of Piggieland, I had heaps of new craft points to consider.
I had to:
- Differentiate my piggie POVs
- Keep the pacing racing along
- Keep the laughs coming
Here are a couple of ways I made that happen.
Escalate Those Differences!!
Muffin loves peace and quiet and orderliness. Ziggy is a whirlwind of chaos and excitement. But they love each other, really (mostly)!
Having two strongly contrasting characters is a great way to dial up tension and humour, because each responds so differently to a given situation – creating plenty of opportunities for laughs.
If one piggie is having the best time of their life, well, the other probably isn’t! (Sorry, piggies!)
A challenge here was that Ziggy, with her natural spunkiness and propensity towards breaking rules and getting up to mischief, could easily steal the show. I needed to make sure that Muffin’s chapters were just as fun and enjoyable – and that she didn’t come across as a scold or the “boring” one. I gave Muffin her own droll sense of humour, as well as a kind of anthropological role where she could comment (mostly in bemused dismay) on the oddities of Piggieland, which presented lots of opportunities for laughs. (Ziggy, though delightful, isn’t quite introspective enough for this!)
Differences aside, it’s really important to the books that Muffin and Ziggy don’t butt heads or antagonise each other – they’re great friends and respect each other’s unique strengths. One fun way to play this up for laughs is to show Muffin’s clear dissatisfaction with a given situation, but have Ziggy misread it as a positive. This brings the reader in on the joke, while also keeping things fun and friendly between our two piggies.
Keep the Good Times Coming
I adore Ziggy and her over-the-top, extreme confidence (even though I’m a Muffin by nature). I play this up for laughs throughout the books, emphasizing Ziggy’s sheer delight and somewhat misplaced self-assuredness at literally everything she encounters. The biggest challenge for Ziggy at the talent show in book 3? Choosing from her extensive list of remarkable talents! The toughest part of leading a piggie parade? Making sure every piggie in the land can hear her flower trumpet! (Poor Muffin.)
In Ziggy’s world, everything is a superlative – the best, the yummiest, the sparkliest – even when she’s misreading the situation. There’s an innocence that readers love, but also want to get behind. How can you not get swept up in Ziggy’s enthusiasm?
Never Underestimate the Value of A Good Chapter Title!!
I wanted every aspect of the series to be fun and whimsical, and the chapter titles were a great opportunity for this. Each title signals whose POV the chapter will be through – and the vibe of each title channels the personality of the POV character.
Ziggy’s are upbeat and cheerful (and marked with double exclamation marks), while Muffin’s are wry and reflect the more restrained, slightly sardonic tone she brings to the story.
Some examples:
Ziggy and the Technicolour Dream Carrots!!
Ziggy and the Glam-Rock Glitter!!
Muffin and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Musical Instrument
Muffin and the Rained Upon Parade
I also found that using short chapters of fairly uniform length helped make it easier to explore a given situation or plot point from both points of view – providing lots of moments for fun and contrast!
Onomatopoeia, Refrains and Piggie-Friendly Similes
While the Sparkle Pigs books are most likely to be read solo, they’re also designed to be fun as read alouds. One way to keep the fun here was to go big on onomatopoeia – the books are filled with BLAARPS and SPLATS and FLOMPS, all of which make for a delightfully OTT reading performance that appeals to future theatre kids. All-caps, rhyme and little poems and songs add some additional fun to the readaloud experience.
Additionally, the Sparkle Pigs characters that Muffin and Ziggy meet are a bit like the Minions characters (silly, and a bit sheeplike) – so giving them group refrains and responses was a fun way to give them a shared, silly voice. They “oooh!” and “aah!” and chant away, acting like a very ridiculous Greek chorus!
Finally, I had a ton of fun with similes and metaphors. I tried to think in terms of piggie experiences – how they might compare things in terms of lettuce varieties, or might count rutabagas instead of sheep when heading to bed. These all help flesh out the worldbuilding while adding a touch of gentle humour for young readers.
Will the Laughs Keep Coming For Piggieland?
So far there are three Sparkle Pigs books, but I’m not yet done having fun in this world. I have plenty more jokes up my sleeve, so fingers crossed that Piggieland invites Muffin and Ziggy back for more sparkly adventures!
Kidlit HaHa Week is giving away one copy of SPARKLE PIGS: CARROT CHAOS (US ONLY)
To enter, comment below with your favorite funny chapter book series before Apr 7, 2025 12pm ET.
Sparkle Pigs: Carrot Chaos, Piggie Parade and Sparkly Spotlight are published by Harper Chapters. They’re written by Kit Holliday (aka Stephanie Campisi) and are illustrated by Dizzy Devil Designs (aka Fran Brylewska and David Brylewski). They’re available wherever you get your books!!
Stephanie Campisi (aka Kit Holliday) is an Australian author based in Southern California. Her books include Sparkle Pigs, Luis and Tabitha, Quacks Like a Duck, Warrior Fairies and the romcom The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors (as Hazel Graves). She can be found at www.stephaniecampisi.com
Congratulations, Stephanie! Your books sounds wonderful. I’ve checked one out of the e-library and can’t wait to read it. I’ve enjoyed Junie B. Jones books.
Thanks so much, Kim! Happy reading 🙂
Thank you so much for this fun and helpful post! I took so many notes, and my daughter and I would love reading your Sparkle Pig series together! While taking a mini class on writing chapter books through Storyteller Academy, I read some of Marcie Colleen’s chapter book series, Super Happy Party Bears, and loved the way she flushed out characters so well and loved the bubbly, happy humor in the tone of the writing!
Marcie is a superstar – I love Penguinaut as well! Thanks for reading, Heather!
Thank you for the fun post =)
You tread a fine line between zany and silly – beautifully. These are great!
Thanks so much, Robin! (And hello, fellow Familius author!)
Your Piggie Books sound like so much fun to read! My first graders always love the old Frog and Toad series! Piggies sound like a great addition to a classroom library 🙂
So many great ways to bring on the funnies, but my favorite is the sparkly sparkly title! Thanks!
You can never have too many sparkles!
Thanks so much, Susan! (I love Frog and Toad as well!) My son is in kindergarten, and he loves the piggies – definitely a fun read for the littles!
Great article, Steph!!
Thanks, Brenna! (Right back atcha!)
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks for the great tips! The Sparkle Pigs look adorable and sound so fun. I can’t wait to read their stories! Another funny series is Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist by Jim Benton.
Oh, I haven’t read those! Will have to check them out! I’ve been reading the Notebooks of Doom series with my son – so fun!
Your books sound hysterical! I love the tip about making sure to include funny chapter titles. Thank you for sharing some of your pages as examples!
My pleasure, Kim! (And apologies about the wonky pics – as you can see I’m not a photographer!) I do love a fun chapter title 🙂
I like your point about creating similes and metaphors that suit the characters and their world. That’s something picture book writers can have a lot of fun with!
My pleasure, Janet! And absolutely – it’s such a great opportunity to build out your characters and your world!
Great advice and tips to create humor. Thank you!
My pleasure, Janel!
I love the way you’ve created an odd-couple pairing who don’t fight and respect each others’ personalities and bring on hilarity in the process! Thank you for all the advice! The Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol series (Andres Miedoso/Victor Rivas) is funny and a little spooky.
Thanks so much, Cindy! Yes – that was such an important part of the process! I really wanted the piggies to have deep respect for each other and their different ways of engaging with the world. I’ll have to check out the Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol series! My son loves anything with ghosts, so I bet he’ll adore it!
Loved your advice on how to make our writing more amusing! Can’t wait to read your books!
My pleasure, Alice – thanks for reading!
Thank you for the informative and fun post! I can’t wait to check out Sparkle Pigs!
Thanks so much, Chandra! I hope you have a blast in Piggieland!
You packed some great nuggets in your post that I totally appreciate! Going to branch out from PB, MG, and board books to chapter books soon. I have an idea steeping. Haven’t read chapter book series too much…but my son loved Captain Underpants. I’ll be requesting Chapter Books from my library soon. Thanks everyone for the list!!! Brittany–this is a wonderful gift to the writing community.
I’m happy to help fill the gap and start giving humor in kidlit the attention it deserves.
Enjoy, Laura! Chapter books are a delight – I’m currently reading Starfriends, The Notebooks of Doom, Good Dog and Aristokittens with my son!
Yes! Fun chapter titles are under-appreciated in children’s books. I spend far too much time coming up with chapter titles, but I love them 🙂 Thanks for all of this great advice.
My pleasure, Stephanie! And agreed – chapter titles are a bonus opportunity for a fun joke or easter egg for astute readers!
Thanks for sharing, Steph. I’m looking to dabble in chapter books too.
My pleasure, Thelia! And I hope you do – they’re an absolute joy to write!
Ooooh, that’s a tough choice. I’ll go with Mercy Watson. So memorable and funny! Lot’s of fantastic side characters.
I love a good side character!
Wonderful ideas, I am excited to get back to writing! I am currently working on PB manuscripts, not chapters, but will consider taking a look as I know working at the library how important those first chapter books are for the kids. And it’s even better if we can make them funny. I appreciate how authors lift each other up! I love Humphrey’s tiny tales books 🙂
So glad to hear it, Michelle – writing is such a delight! And having a supportive group of author friends is so, so vital in this career. We’re all here to help each other out 🙂
Wow! Thank you for sharing. I loved hearing about your thought process as your write from both POV’s without pitting the characters against each other and holding space for them to honor each other’s differences. You are amazing!! My favorite funny chapter book series are Kate DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson series and The Notebook of Doom Series. Thank you for taking the time to share your talent and craft with us!
Thank you so much, Amy! I ADORE The Notebook of Doom Series – have you tried the Binders of Doom spin-off? Delightful!
Your article definitely generated a 5.33 ton of ideas for me. EllRay Jakes…the name alone makes me chuckle.