“Humor is the most precious gift I can give to my reader, a reminder that the world is not such a terribly serious place. There is more than video games and drugs and nuclear threats; there is laughter — and there is hope.” James Howe, author.  I definitely agree, so here are two books that rate on my laugh chart.

Bruce Colville’s Thor’s Wedding Day (Harcourt, 2005) is told by Thialfi the goat boy.  Meet talking goats, one who holds a grudge against, Thialfi, and the gods and goddesses of mythology.  See Thor get dressed up as a bride to go marry a giant who has stolen Thor’s hammer.  It’s a story of mistakes and actions taken to rectify those mistakes.  It makes me smile whenever I think about it.

Meet Bruce at his website:  http://www.brucecoville.com/ and if you ever get a chance to hear him speak as I’ve had, don’t pass it up.  He’s very funny in person, too.

Queen Sophie Hartley by Stephanie Greene (Clarion Books, 2005) is another humorous story.  This light-hearted book is fun and sweet.  8 year old Sophie is good at crying.  It’s the only thing she does well.  Oh, and stopping crying.  Her “things I’m bad at” list is much longer, so Sophie decides to discover what else she’s good at doing.  Along the way she learns about friendships, Queens and commoners, and how to curtsy.

You also might want to check out the sequel, Sophie Hartley, On Strike – I know I’ll be reading it.

To find out more about author Stephanie Greene, read her bio, at http://www.visitingauthors.com/authors/greene_stephanie/greene_stephanie_bio.html.