More than forty articles originally published in "The Horn Book Magazine" between 1968 and 1977 are grouped into eleven topical sections in this volume. The sections deal with the status, classification, and evaluation of children's literature; conflicting standards on which children's books are judged; fantasy, humor, and current trends in…

This selective bibliography of over 175 children's books, most of which are annotated, lists fantasy, humor, and folk tales; collections, verse, songs, and Mother Goose stories; and inexpensive books; together with books dealing with children and families; animals; the city; "real things" and machines; and the ABC's and counting. An introduction…

According to the cognitive-congruency principle, humor appreciation peaks when the cognitive demands of the stimulus are congruent with the cognitive level of the child. This study tested the principle with jokes based on concepts associated with concrete operational thinking, conservation of mass and weight. This method provides a satisfactory…

The promise of joking riddles as a developmental index of children's humor was investigated through studying the enjoyment and comprehension of riddles and nonriddles by first-, third-, and fifth-grade normal children. Based on previous studies, it was predicted that enjoyment and comprehension of riddles would increase with age and that the…

The author reports a recent study on humorous and non-humorous speeches on two topics: the meaning of totalitarianism and an explanation of the Whorf hypothesis. Student subjects listened to two recorded speeches--the humorous version of one speech and the non-humorous version of the other speech--and later responded to a multiple-choice test of…

This study investigated two questions: (1) Can a humorous persuasive message increase the amount of persuasion compared with a serious control message? (2) Can humor external to and contiguous with a persuasive message increase its persuasiveness? The research on the first question attempted to determine intervening variables responsible for prior…

From a sample of eighth-grade pupils, 96 class clowns were identified and compared to a sample of 237 nonclown classmates. Clowns were predominantly males, and were seen by their teachers to be higher than nonclowns in Asserting, Unruliness, Attention Seeking, Leadership, and Cheerfulness, and to be lower in Accomplishing. (Author/CP)

An annotated bibliography of 150 short, light, humorous reading materials suitable for reluctant readers at three levels of elementary school. (DD)

Describes how the jokes of Johnny Carson, David Letterman, and Joan Rivers explore, support, and disrupt different elements of the American social experience. Argues that joking is one strategy for encouraging and sustaining resistance to ideological control. (NKA)

Recommends teaching about the uses of humor in technical writing classes by using computer user manuals. Suggests that humor has a place in technical communication, particularly in computer manuals, where new users' apprehension must be reduced, heavy technical points need clarification, and warnings and cautions should be reinforced. (SKC)

Shows how the rhetoric of selected woman humorists from 1820 to 1880 exemplifies the operation of various comic literary reference frames. Asserts that their comic frame disintegrated because these writers were unable to foster identification between females and males and failed to provide a world view that could accommodate social change. (MM)

Receptive and expressive humor was investigated in learning-disabled (LD), mildly retarded, and nondisabled students (N=54) from primary (ages 7-10), intermediate (ages 10-13), and middle school (ages 13-16) grades. LD students did not display increased understanding at later ages and had more difficulty with phonological than with lexical or…

Investigated reactions to humorous feminist slogans in these groups: (1) males and females (N=20) over 30 years old who were feminists or strongly sympathetic; (2) female and male undergraduates (N=39) with various levels of sympathy; and (3) 6th, 8th, and 10th grade academically gifted students (N=62). Results suggest gender and feminist sympathy…

Describes a teaching unit that involves students in reading and analyzing elements of humor in young people's literature. Focuses on what makes quality humorous books funny as well as literary. (FL)

Investigates kindergarten children's ability to comprehend and appreciate cognitively-oriented humor. Conceptual development was measured by assessing children's responses to a liquid conservation task modeled after Piaget. Results fail to support previous theories and indicate that a majority of the children fully comprehended and were able to…