An efficient, punchy pun-generation primer.
Everything you ever wanted to know about writing jokes.
With a blithesome barrage of puns, this book wastes no time in getting to a successful joke’s secret ingredient: surprise. After both showing and telling why the unexpected twist is what makes a joke funny, Roth and Shah give their audience assignments in amusement; a wordplay exercise involves listing similar-sounding words, coming up with a punchline, and reverse-engineering the joke from the punchline. Next, the authors explain the “rule of three” (where humor derives from an unexpected final item in a list of items); the accompanying exercise uses a fill-in-the-blank formula. The section on exaggeration follows the same accessible formula, though some may not appreciate the prompt (“My grandma is so old…”). A section on advanced wordplay, which walks kids through idioms, is the strongest how-to, as it demonstrates that not all uses of the formulas are equally successful and why. After a brief discussion about effective joke-telling, readers land in “The Serious Section,” which troubleshoots jokes gone wrong, from delivery that falls flat to an audience that doesn’t laugh, followed by not-quite-sufficient caution to make friends laugh instead of upsetting them. Final sections cover visual humor, offer a recap, and suggest jobs that involve comedy. Art features anthropomorphized creatures; occasional humans are mostly bright pink.
An efficient, punchy pun-generation primer. (Humor/nonfiction. 6-11)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-79721-392-7
Page Count: 148
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
A solid base hit, with guidance on the great American pastime—and life itself.
Actor Renna, best known for his role in the 1993 film The Sandlot, offers baseball-themed anecdotes and affirmations.
Heartfelt reminders that life’s a marathon, not a sprint, may be familiar, but many young readers will find them revelatory. The author also stresses that failure is just as much a part of life as success, encourages children to embrace individuality and work hard despite being the underdog, and emphasizes that practice shows commitment and “prepares you for the big game or the test.” All these lessons will be relatable to young people, and many are supported by real-life stories: basketball superstar Michael Jordan’s short-lived stint in minor league baseball, an unexpected victory during Game One of the 2015 World Series, and Renna’s willingness to swallow his fear when, as a young teen, he was handed a new script just an hour before shooting a pivotal scene in The Sandlot. Each tidbit stands alone, but taken together, all 20 tenets provide a lively road map to life. The colorful spot art features images of diverse young baseball players, plus some visually appealing double-page spreads filled with movement and action. White space is used thoughtfully, allowing readers to reflect on how these words of wisdom might apply to them.
A solid base hit, with guidance on the great American pastime—and life itself. (Informational picture book. 7-11)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780593754870
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
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