The 9-year-old girl 'slaying' the New Yorker's cartoon caption contest
Bess Kalb is an Emmy-nominated writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live and The New Yorker's Daily Shouts section, so she knows comedic talent when she sees it.
And it turns out a flair for wit runs in the family – her cousin's nine-year-old daughter, Alice, has been "quietly and masterfully slaying" (in Ms Kalb's words) the famous weekly cartoon caption contest of her own prestigious publication.
One of Alice's witty captions.
Photo: Twitter/Bess KalbThe proud writer took to Twitter on Thursday to share her second-cousin's work, saying "I am a professional joke writer for a professional TV show and I truly can't touch any of this".
And it seems the reviews are unanimous: with 30,000 likes and 7000 retweets, Alice's captions are a comedy hit.
Ms Kalb tweeted that Alice grabs every copy of The New Yorker before her mum can beat her to the cartoon caption contest. She even asked for a collection of every cartoon with the real captions removed, so she could create her own.
According to Alice's mum Kim Kassnove, the young caption queen is making the most of her 15 minutes of fame.
"She refuses to take off her sunglasses indoors, called me 'toots' and asked me to order her a tuna roll with quinoa for dinner. We’re in trouble," Ms Kassnove tweeted.
Meanwhile, Ms Kalb took the opportunity to remind Alice's new fans of the importance of encouraging creative spark, especially in young girls.
"Teachers don't always encourage creative writing, so today has been a huge shot of confidence for her. Let young girls know when they're funny and smart. Many people don't," she tweeted.