Humor is important in kids' books...very important. I've read some books that dealt with very serious subject matter (brain injury), yet, somewhere among all the seriousness there was some humor. Why? Humor is a very human reaction when dealing with difficult situations. And, kids love to laugh. It breaks up the tension.
One writer who writes one joke after another in his books, and quite successfully, is Bruce Hale in his Chet Gecko Mystery series. Here's an example from his book "From Russia With Lunch": "I never could resist a mystery. Any mystery. Like, if Number 2 pencils are the most popular, why are they still Number 2? If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled? And if bedbugs live in beds and tree frogs live in trees, shouldn't box turtles come in boxes?"
I'm still trying to add a little humor to my stories. And maybe my writing is too serious, but I do keep in mind that kids need a bit of humor in everything they read. So don't we all.
