Book Nook: The Giggles are Coming

 

Christopher Eliopoulos' career has taken him from Marvel Comics, where he has worked on thousands of comics, to the smash hit Ordinary People Change The World series, which has more than 2.8 million books in print. Written by Brad Meltzer with Chris’s iconic art, the series focuses on characters in history who have changed the world, the latest heroes being I Am Walt Disney and I Am Marie Curie. Chris is also the author of the graphic novels Cosmic Commandos and Monster Mayhem. In November 2019, PBS premiered Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, which is based on the book series in Chris’s recognizable art style.

 

In his new book, The Giggles are Coming!, two best friends are so excited about the first day of school. They're in the same class, their classroom is full of art supplies, and they've even made a new friend. But then it happens: Just as the teacher introduces herself, the GIGGLES show up! They're everywhere and impossible to escape. And as if that wasn't embarrassing enough, soon a GUFFAW shows up, and then the CHUCKLES! What will their teacher think if they can't avoid laughing in the middle of her first lesson? This book is a fun and light-hearted read-aloud for the start of school. Readers will find it impossible not to laugh when they see the goofy faces and antics of the anthropomorphized giggles and chuckles.

I had a chance to interview the author to learn more.

Why did you write this book?

After having written The Yawns Are Coming! I immediately thought of other things that were infectious and laughter was the top of the list. Seeing someone smile automatically makes you smile and laughter is a great medicine for lots of things. I wanted to give that message to kids.

 Why is it important to encourage kids to have a sense of humor?

People have a tendency to take things seriously, but if we can just laugh at ourselves, life would be so much better. It’s okay to make fun of yourself, it’s okay to laugh at the absurdity of life. I wish I had learned that earlier in life.

 

 How can books help make kids more comfortable with transitions like the first day of school?

I always had a bad first day. I would get so nervous and stressed that by the end of the day, I had a massive headache. It got to the point that on my first day of school, my mother would have a damp cloth for my forehead, set up a place on the couch to recover, and something to read. In the end, though, it wasn’t bad at all…I had just gotten myself so upset that I didn’t enjoy all the new people and experiences I had that day. Books helped me to recover from a bad day and I hope this one can help kids know that they’ll be okay as well.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Christopher Eliopoulos is the illustrator of the New York Times Bestselling Ordinary People Change the World series of picture book biographies, the books that inspired the PBS show, Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and their identical twin sons (when the boys are home from college). You can visit him online at ChrisEliopoulos.com.