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…

A principal and two teachers of a local elementary school were interviewed to establish a shared definition of humor in the classroom. A multidimensional definition emerged with intellectual, spiritual, and physical aspects. The teachers were observed to determine if specific uses of humor would be evident in their classrooms. Four types of…

Based on the premise that educators are vitally interested in literary moments that engage the reader instantly, this paper discusses books that provide enjoyment for children. After suggesting that the most important "basics" are those that promote an exploration of language through literature, the paper notes the importance of good literature…

Although humor and laughter are most often based in fundamental social interactions, this element of communication has received little attention. To examine the socially facilitating effects of communication and social acceptance by analyzing children's intrapersonal perceptions of communication apprehension, or shyness, 169 children, aged 8 to 13…

Satire appears to be one of the least attractive forms of humorous literature because many readers feel it encompasses negative and ill-mannered comic devices. By virtue of the fact that satire is not considered polite literature, it rarely makes its way into the planned literary curricula until students enter high school English courses. In this…

Humor in literature and children's responses to humor deserve serious study. Humor in literature may focus on a character's method for coping with a disturbing situation, problems (such as riddles) that engender sudden insights when things fall into place, or ludicrous characters. Incongruity and surprise also play an important part in humor and…

This study documents the differential sex and age influences on children's judgments of each other's humorousness, whom they prefer for friends, and the relationship between perceptions of humorousness and choice of friends. Two groups of children from a university-operated laboratory school participated in this study: one group consisted of 8-,…

This study examined relations between children's humor, behavioral characteristics, acceptance by peers in kindergarten and primary school, and self-perceptions. Subjects were 35 kindergarten, 88 fourth grade, and 95 eighth grade Norwegian children. For all students, assessments included sociometric ratings of classmates, teacher assessments of…