Funny books for kids can transport young readers to an amusing and entertaining universe, serving as a refuge from life’s difficult moments, as well as easing the approach to serious subjects. A panel of four distinctive voices in contemporary children’s literature—Cece Bell (El Deafo), Christopher Paul Curtis (The Watsons Go To Birmingham), and Eugene Yelchin (The Genius Under the Table)—will discuss the role of humor in their books. Their work explores, respectively, how challenges of deafness compound those of childhood; Black American lives in various historical eras; themes of love, hope and forgiveness in families; and growing up behind the Iron Curtain in the Soviet Union. The panelists will delve into the ways that humor infuses their stories and the challenge of using humor with sensitivity. The panel will be moderated by Elizabeth Levy, longtime author of humorous fiction whose recent non-fiction historical books have been singled out for their unexpectedly funny qualities. Her most recent book, written with Andrea Batis, is Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare.
