To quote a certain animated duck with a penchant for getting into disastrous situations with painful outcomes, “Very funny. It is to laugh.”
Laughter is one of the many traits humans share with at least a few of the hundreds of millions of species on our planet, and perhaps with a certain Daffy Duck.
A recent study in the journal Bioacoustics identified 65 different species of animals that have their own form of laughter in response to something they find humourous.
Primates, foxes, killer whales, seals, at least three bird species, and even your pet dog engage in some form of vocalization that scientists recognize as laughter.
Here at Airdrie Public Library (APL), we love a good laugh as much as anyone.
Laughter is the physical manifestation of finding something funny, which is something we all do as humans, no matter where you’re from, your culture, or even your personality. Even the grumpiest of us will allow a chuckle to escape occasionally.
To help our patrons achieve a good laugh, APL has a huge selection of books, comics, and movies devoted just to that very cause.
For instance, An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good, an irreverent story collection by Swedish author Helene Tursten, famous for her Detective Inspector Irene Huss series, will “keep you laughing all the way to the retirement home.”
Stewart McLean’s Vinyl Café Unplugged, Home from the Vinyl Café, Secrets from the Vinyl Café, and many of his print, audio, and DVD works will leave you in stitches over the antics of his fictional characters.
Of course, we have plenty of humourous graphic novels and comics, from Archie to Bogart Creek to The Swamp, and a huge selection of DVD and Blu-ray titles that offer age-specific humour.
No matter whether you’ve read a laugh-out-loud book, or watched a silly movie with friends, laughter is something we share, even across species.
Visit airdriepubliclibrary.ca to learn more about APL’s programs and services.
