No Laughing Matter: Where's the Humor in Nonfiction.

By highlighting the dreadful and avoiding the droll, nonfiction presents an unbalanced picture of the world and deprives readers of the benefits humor could contribute. Humor is needed in literature because it ventilates or disrupts oppressive conditions, it provides a different lens from which to view reality, and it provides hope, pleasure, and fun. While humor is a trend in current children's nonfiction, it has not assumed a substantial presence in award winning books. There is a need in children's nonfiction for books that show the value of humor as a means of coping with difficulties. (Contains 19 references.) (EF)