LET’S CONNECT THROUGH… HUMOUR

By Sharon Giltrow

Humour - “The quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech.”
The Oxford Dictionary

My daughter Kiana laughing

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I love this definition because it combines humour and literature, which are two of my favourite things.

As a writer, I aim to include humor in all my stories. Why? Because humour leads to laughter and laughing is one of the first and most universal forms of communication.

When we share a laugh with someone, we share their experiences and feelings. It helps us to connect. As a writer, connecting with your reader is essential. It's also the #1 thing that hooks children in and keeps them reading.

When I wrote my debut picture book BEDTIME, DADDY! I wanted to connect to my readers, by sharing a laugh. So, I included as much humour and heart in my story as I could. I also wanted the adults and children who were reading BEDTIME, DADDY! to share a laugh and connect.

Here are some of my favourite humorous pages from BEDTIME, DADDY! with illustrations by the amazing Katrin Dreiling. I hope we can share a laugh and connect over the coming year.

BEDTIME DADDY
Written by: Sharon Giltrow
Illustrated by: Katrin Dreiling
Published by: EK Books, May, 2020

How do I write humorous stories? I keep my eyes and ears open for funny ideas. Especially the funny things that children say and do. Children are hilarious. My idea for BEDTIME, DADDY! came from my own children. One night my son was stalling bedtime. So, his dad  jumped into his bed and said “Okay then you can put me to bed.” Bedtime is not usually a funny time of day, but when it is a child who is putting their parent to bed, then that’s funny. Then I researched all the things that children do to stall bedtime. From that research, I chose the funniest stalling techniques, ramped up the humour added some heart and Hey Presto, comedy gold.

I hope that my future blog posts, which will feature humorous Aussie books, will help you to connect with the people you share them with.  

Share a laugh and connect with someone today.

BIO:
Sharon Giltrow grew up in South Australia, the youngest of eight children, surrounded by pet sheep and fields of barley. She now lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband, two children and a tiny dog. Sharon has taught for all of her career. Previously a teacher of children who are hearing impaired and Deaf-Blind, she now teaches young children with Developmental Language Disorder. Her humorous debut PB BEDTIME DADDY! was released May 2020 through EK books. Sharon’s humorous follow up picture book,  GET READY, MAMA! Is due to be released through EK books in 2022. Awarded the Paper Bird Fellowship for Writers in 2019, Sharon used this time to write her early middle grade book SAMARA RUBIN AND THE UTILITY BELT. Samara is due to be released in 2021 through Clear Fork Publishing’s new imprint &MG. Sharon is also a Blogger for the Children’s Book Academy,

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