Final answer:
Humor in children's picture books keeps young readers engaged and helps convey lessons in a more enjoyable way, using effective literary techniques like irony and satire.
Step-by-step explanation:
Humor is often found in children's picture books because it serves as a powerful tool to engage young readers, making stories more enjoyable and memorable. Famous writers like Charles Dickens and Mark Twain have used humor deliberately, often to highlight certain traits or criticize social issues. Humor can be an effective literary technique, employing aspects such as irony and satire to lead readers towards a deeper understanding while also providing entertainment. Anthropologist George Murdock recognized humor as a cultural universal, essential for human interaction and unity. Children's books often use humorous characters and scenarios to teach lessons, provide comfort, or simply to elicit laughs, helping to ease the learning process and making the experience enjoyable.