In the Coop with Lisa Yee

A Three Silly Chicks Interview

Lisa Yee is the comic-quirky-brilliant author of MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS and STANFORD WONG FLUNKS BIG-TIME. The Three Silly Chicks are absolutely crazy about her, even though she occasionally tortures peeps.


How do you know when what you write is funny?

My daughter claims that I'm always cracking myself up. It's true. For example, I'll be in the grocery store and remember something weird, like the time broccoli came out of my nose, and start laughing. This causes the people near me to slowly move away.

I am aware that things I find funny, others might not. (My husband thinks that objects that come out of other people's noses are disgusting. BTW, it is my theory that in relationships there is always one person who doesn't mind looking at someone's scab, and another who totally squeamish.) Oh dear. I'm drifting. Back to funny. I guess I'm always afraid people won't get my sense of humor. It's so quirky. So I test it out on my family. If they laugh, then it's good. If I have to explain it to them, then it's not.

Do you have any tips for writing funny books?

The best way to write a funny book is to write an unfunny book first. By that I mean, the story has to hold up without the humor. There needs to be emotion and pathos in it. Well, not all funny books, but the ones I like best. The ones that are about a character we care about, and not just a slapstick situation.

To test this, take out your best jokes or funniest parts. Does the story still hold up? If yes, then you've created a wonderful foundation to build the humor on.

Has being funny ever gotten you into or out of trouble?

Yes.

What are some of your favorite funny books?

On the adult side: I am a HUGE fan of Anne Lamott and David Sedaris's essays. I enjoy the twisted humor of Edward Gorey, and the quirky characters from James Wilcox's books. Anne Tyler is hysterical, in a very quiet way. And I recently read QUEEN OF THE ODDBALLS by Hillary Carlip. I liked it so much I sent her a fan letter.

On the kid side: SOMETIMES I'M BOMBALOO by Rachel Vail and Yumi Heo wonderfully combines visual humor with irony. D.L. Garfinkle took an embarrassing situation and crafted it into a LOL story with STORKY. You can't beat Calvin and Hobbs for sheer delight. I adored the humor, emotion and angst in ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NOT . . . by David LaRochelle. And I love all things Beverly Cleary.

If you could live in one of your books, which one would you choose?

Both my first two novels (and number three, SO TOTALLY EMILY EBERS) take place in the imaginary town of Rancho Rosetta in Southern California. They are overlapping stories. I idealized Rancho Rosetta because I felt the kids had enough angst in their lives, and I didn't want to have to have them worry about safety and bad guys and taxes and pollution and whatnot and therefore.

However, my forth novel, CHARM SCHOOL DROPOUT (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008) takes place in Kissimmee, FL and Hollywood, CA. So, I guess of those places, I'd live in the imaginary town of Rancho Rosetta and hang out with Millie, Emily and Stanford.

Who do you like more, The Marx Bros or Three Stooges?

The Marx Brothers. I love wordplay.

What was your best Halloween costume?

One year, in college, I wore one of my mom's old pink taffeta cocktail dresses, long gloves, and lots of (fake) pearls. I hardly ever dress up, so it felt very chic and irreverent at the same time. I suppose if I wore that today I'd look like Gwen Steffani, minus the blonde hair, musical abilities, and clothing line.

What is your Dream Job for a Day?

To be an author on the day the first hardcover copy of your book arrives in the mail. Oh wait, that's really happened!!! (It is sooooo surreal and totally cool.)

Clown V. Mime Deathmatch. Pick your winner.

Oh dear. This is a tough one. I don't suppose they can cancel each other out? Hmmmm, I have to really think here. I am scared of clowns, but mimes also freak me out. I get really quiet around mimes. But I don't get all clown-y around clowns. Not sure if that is significant. I guess if I had to choose, the mime would win. And then, to celebrate the victory, I would take him/her to a movie. Only, not a silent one. To sit next to a mime during a silent movie would be torture.

Funniest dead person you’d like to meet?

Dorothy Parker.

BONUS QUESTION! Halloween Candy: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thoughts?

I am totally in favor of Halloween candy. Love those tasty fun-sized treats. I just hope my kids never find out that I eat their candy when they are in school. Shhhhh. I do it for love though. Too much sugar is bad for children.

I guess the good would be anything chocolate. The bad would be anything with hair stuck on it or the word "filet" on the package. And the ugly would be, well, the same as the bad.

The Squampkin Patch

THE SQUAMPKIN PATCH: A Nasselrogt Adventure
by JT Petty
Illustrated by David Michael Friend
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Ages 9-14.
ISBN: 1-4169-0274-0
http://www.pettyofficial.com

When Milton and Chloe are slightly orphaned by a tragic tanning bed accident, they end up in Urchin House Orphanage where they must eat brown goo and make zippers. Like all good literary orphans, they run away. They take refuge in a house abandoned by a missing confectioner whose obsession to create the perfect Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip cookie led him to grow a dangerous squash-pumpkin hybrid. The squampkin. Following clues in the baker's journal, the kids unravel the details of his frightening disappearance and begin to understand the growing danger around them. The orange, walking, clawing, hissing danger of the SQUAMPKINS!!!!!

Petty brings together a cast of odd figures, a generous sprinkling of smart puns and clever wordplay, and a delightfully absurd plot to create a book that is serious about being funny, but never takes itself too seriously. Best of all, The Squampkin Patch is funny and suspenseful (even a bit grim near the end). And you thought only zucchini could be scary! Best suited for readers 9 and up.

And the Winner Is . . .

The time has come to announce the winner of our first ever contest at Three Silly Chicks!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to wish us well and to tell us your favorite funny book for kids! We have added new shelves to the coop for all the wonderful titles we learned about!

Without further adieu . . . or Mountain Dew . . . or dippety doo. . . the winner is . . .

Royal trumpet music and drumroll, please! Bwock! Bwock-bwock!

Jenlibrarian!

Jenlibrarian come on down! You've just won a copy of the delightful new book, Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road! And that's not all! You've also won a pair of chattering teeth and your own little rubber chicken!

(Please e-mail us at three_silly_chicks@yahoo.com so we can pop your prizes in the mail to you!!!!!)

Congratulations and thanks again to all you silly people out there!

That's Just Silly!

Dear Readers,

Alas, but mostly alack! Our chicken coop is a mess. The rafters are strewn with dirty socks, stale eggnog, and Moon Pie wrappers. It is time to clean! Therefore, we are forced to take the only possible action left to us. We must waste hours surfing the web. And so is born a new segment on our blog called "That's Just Silly!" It's a chance for us to waste time and feel good about it by sharing our finds with you!

And speaking of finds . . .
1. http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/badgers/
2. www.thetalkingpug.com
3. http://www.sfpg.com/animation/liteBrite.html#
If you have especially silly sites you'd like to share, just e-mail us at three_silly_chicks@yahoo.com!
Hey! We're out of Twinkies in here!
The Three Silly Chicks

My Haunted House

My Haunted House
Written by Angie Sage
Illustrated by Jimmy Pickering
Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN: 0060774819

Not only does Araminta Spookie have a name to die for, but she lives in the best old house ever. Unfortunately, her Aunt Tabby’s getting tired of doing all the housework and maintenance while Uncle Drac does nothing but sleep all day. When Aunt Tabby puts the house up for sale, Araminta hatches a ghoulicious plan to keep realtors and buyers running scared from Spookie House.

My Haunted House is the first in this early middle grade series, featuring a fun Addams Family-esque cast of characters perfectly rendered by illustrator Jimmy Pickering. Share this book with readers who like their goosebumps served with a cauldron of laughs!

Grumpy Gloria

Grumpy Gloria
Written and Ilustrated by Anna Dewdney
Viking
ISBN 0670061239
Gloria the bulldog wasn't always grumpy. She and her little girl used to play catch and chase soap bubbles. But when her little girl gets a spiffy new doll, Gloria is left out of their games. The family tries to cheer her up with disastrous results. A bath? A jog? A game of dress-up? No wonder Gloria is a pouty pooch!

The lively, rhyming text is pitch perfect in this sweet and funny book, but the real star is Gloria herself who is portrayed with such warmth and humor. It's impossible not to fall in love with her. Kudos to Dewdney for her clever use of end papers to tell the backstory. Gloria is simply glorious!

Big Chickens

Big Chickens
Written by Leslie Helakoski
Illustrated by Henry Cole
Dutton Children's Books
ISBN: 0525475753
http://www.kidsbooklink.org/helakoski.html
http://www.henrycole.net
One day, a wolf sneaks into the farmyard. Four freaked-out feathered friends flap out of the coop and into the woods to hide. The harried hens head deeper into the woods where they find a ditch. They tutter and putter and flutter until one by one, they fall in. They meet a field full of frightening cows. The big chickens squeak and squirm and squawk until one by one, they run into the cow. The panicky poultry head from one terror to the next until, at last, they find safety in a deep, dark cave. Or do they?

These silly chicks (no relation) lead readers on a wild goose chase through the countryside. Cole's playful watercolors are perfectly paired to Helakoski's spunky text. The prose is sprinkled generously with snippets of rhyme, more than a little alliteration (say that five times fast) and a heaping helping of silliness. An eggceptional read aloud.

Contest (Deadline: October 15)

Welcome to the Roost!

Help us celebrate the official launch of Three Silly Chicks by entering this egg-citing contest!

It's as easy as 1 - 2 - 3...

1. Leave a comment on this post by midnight (CST) Sunday, October 15th, listing the title and author of your favorite funny book for kids.

2. If you post your comment anonymously (no blogger or LJ account), send an email to mailto:three_silly_chicks@yahoo.com to let us know how to contact you if you win.

3. The winner will be chosen randomly on Monday, October 16th.

THE PRIZE: A brand-spanking new copy of Why Did the Chicken Cross The Road? featuring the hilarious illustrations of Mo Willems, David Shannon, Marla Frazee, Chris Raschka & 10 other award-winning children's book illustrators!

THE FINEPRINT: Multiple entries will not be accepted. One person = one entry. Must be 18 or over to enter. Contains no calories. No eggs were cracked in the making of this contest. Thanks!

In the Coop with Lisa Wheeler

A Three Silly Chicks Interview

Lisa Wheeler is the witty, charming and much-loved author of SEADOGS (illustrated by Mark Siegel), SAILOR MOO (illustrated by Ponder Goembel), and many other funny books for kids!

How do you know when what you write is funny?

I write what makes me laugh. If it cracks me up, it’ll probably crack up a 6 year-old. I’m not that complex.

Do you have any tips for writing funny books?

Use comedic timing. Don’t belabor the point. Think of how a standup comic uses timing to tell a joke. You have to get in and out of a joke while it’s still funny. Check out Turk And Runt. I think it is a good example of comedic timing in a picture book.

Has being funny ever gotten you into or out of trouble?

I’m not funny enough to create such an impact. But being too serious has caused its share of headaches.

What are some of your favorite funny books?

Mr. Wolf’s Pancakes, The Scrambled States of America, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, all the Junie B. Jones books, There Was An Old Woman, The Captain Underpants series, Bark, George!,.. I could go on and on. But my bookcase is in my daughter’s room and she’s still sleeping (plus, it looks like a bomb hit her room). These are the titles you get off the top of my head.

If you could live in one of your books, which one would you choose?

Just one? I suppose I’d pick Sailor Moo. Not only did she get to go to sea (I love the ocean!), she also ended up living on the beach and meeting the bull of her dreams. What a great life!

Who do you like more, The Marx Bros or Three Stooges?

I pick the Stooges because I’ve seen more of their movies, and I do a wicked Curly Shuffle. Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck.

What was your best Halloween costume?

A cat costume my mom made when I was a kid. It was made out of a faux fur sofa cover and had a huge paper mache’ head with glow-in-the-dark eyes. I couldn’t see a thing out the eye-holes. It was great!

What is your Dream Job For a Day?

Pop star diva. Like, maybe Janet Jackson. I wish I could sing, dance and look gorgeous all at the same time. (But I'll keep my own brothers, thank-you-very-much.)

Clown V. Mime Deathmatch. Pick your winner.

Hmmmmm…tough call. Clowns are inherently evil, and yet mimes need to die. Someone has to lose, but a mime is a terrible thing to waste.

Funniest dead person you’d like to meet?

Gilda Radnor. Her SNL characters are so memorable and hysterical. I'd just like to say Thanks for the laughs.

My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World

My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World
Written and Illustrated by Gilles Bachelet
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Translation edition (March 1, 2006)
ISBN: 081094913X

Cats are so silly. They nap in the dryer, on the TV or atop a desk full of work papers. They can destroy an entire house chasing a ball of yarn. And they shower in the toilet. Well, at least Gilles Bachelet’s cat does. But then, his cat also has enormous ears, a long gray trunk and weighs several tons. Some might mistake his cat for an elephant, but that would be absurd. It would also be the makings of a fantastic picture book.

Bachelet's minimal text wryly describes his perfectly normal cat, but his beautifully detailed water color illustrations paint a much different picture. Kids will crack up at the sight of an elephant bathing himself and using the litter box. Adults will love the references to famous paintings by artists like Picasso, Míro, and Magritte. Simple, smart and funny. This book can be enjoyed over and over. This is an English translation of French book published in 2004 and are we ever glad it jumped the pond!

One More Sheep

One More Sheep
Written by Mij Kelly
Illustrated by Russell Ayto
Peachtree Publishers
September, 2006
ISBN: 156145378-1
http://mijkelly.com/news/page1/

During a “wild, windy night,” Farmer Sam brings home his sheep, tucks them in, and starts to count them, making sure all ten are snug in bed. There’s just one little problem: counting sheep puts Sam to sleep. Before he’s even halfway through, Sam’s snoozing and the sheep are miffed:

I think that he finds us terribly boring.
How rude! How uncouth!
And now he is snoring!

When a wolf in sheep’s clothing knocks on the door, Sam wakes up and welcomes the imposter with open arms, mistaking him for one of his ten sheep. The real sheep quickly insist Sam count them again – and this time they’ll do anything to keep him from nodding off!

Illustrator Russell Ayto’s pleasingly plump yet skinny-limbed sheep are a riot, especially during their high-kicking-chorus-line attempt to keep Sam awake. ONE MORE SHEEP is one bedtime story that will please parents, kids, and chicks alike!

Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich

Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich
Written and Illustrated by Adam Rex
Harcourt, Inc.
September, 2006
ISBN: 0152057668
http://adamrex.com/adamrex-home.html


FRANKENSTEIN MAKES A SANDWICH is an uproariously funny poetry collection about the pesky little problems that monsters face each day. When Frankenstein decides to borrow deli slices from his neighbors to make a sandwich, they pick up their pitchforks and chase him out of town. They throw rotten tomatoes and loaves of moldy bread. Voila! A perfect sandwich! When the poor Phantom of the Opera tries to create a new song, he can’t get "It’s a Small World After All" out of his head. (Can't you just hear it now?) Wolfman’s dog is sick and tired of his master clawing at the door and leaving globs of hair in the tub. And the Invisible Man? Well, he can’t seem to get a decent haircut. The silly barber keeps cutting off the wrong parts. Such problems!

The best way to share this wonderful read-aloud is by pouring over the illustrations with a fiend. Each spread is a loving ode to a different illustrator. Careful readers will notice some unlikely influences, like Charles Schultze (Snoopy’s skeleton makes an appearance on page 33), Richard Scarry and Norman Rockwell. (Could that be Tony DiTerlizzi’s pug on page 13?) Be sure to read all the fine print—you’ll find some of the funniest jokes half-hidden in the illustrations.

About Us and Our Blog

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To read our blog!

Welcome to Three Silly Chicks, a seriously silly celebration of funny books for kids!

We review funny new picture books and mid-grade novels and interview some of the funniest writers in kids' books today!

We review new books that you might not know about.

We don't review super-smash hits like Captain Underpants or Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. You already know how funny those books are. (Though we might review a book called Please Let the Pigeon Wear Underwear.)

"But wait," you say, "Who are these Three Silly Chicks?"

What a silly question! We like you already!

We are Andrea Beaty, Carolyn Crimi, and Julia Durango. We are all children's authors who LOVE funny books. But not funny smells. Or funions (which smell funny.)

We do:

• Love silly books.
• Love silly string.
• Love silly hats.
• Love our jobs! As children's authors, we get to spend our days writing books that make kids laugh. What could be better than that, you ask? Reading funny books and talking about them with friends, too! That's why we started this blog!

We do:

• NOT review young adult books. Sorry. We love them, but we don't review them. Rule of thumb: If a book is written for anybody who might shave, we won't review it.
• NOT review books we don't love. Life is too short for that!
• NOT accept review copies of books.
• NOT know how to hula dance. Though we could learn.

We hope you will:

• Visit us often!
• Link to our blog!
• Tell us about your favorite funny books for kids!
• Tell your friends about us!
• Tell your friends when they have something hanging out of their noses.
• Tell your friends to go home already. Don't they have lives?

More to come ...

The Three Silly Chicks