This post by author, Michael Gerard Bauer, had me rolling on the floor. It was so funny, in fact, that it got me to order his YA book, Don't Call Me Ishmael. Well, that... and the review on The Book Chook's blog.
There is nothing better than a good laugh. Which got me thinking... what picture books crack me up? The truth is, not many. Editors always say they are looking for humor. And there are plenty of PBs that make me smile, or perhaps inwardly chuckle. But very few make me laugh out loud.
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt is a funny book. The Three Horrid Little Pigs is comical. Froggy Gets Dressed elicits a giggle or two when I read it aloud to my children. But I can't think of a single PB that sends me or my kids into uncontrollable fits of laughter.
What picture books do you find to be laugh-out-loud funny?
13 comments:
Oh now, that IS such an interesting question!
My initial reaction is none. Lots of smiles and giggles as you say, but somehow, there is a more rounded experience in good picture books, a little sadness or thoughtfulness to stop it being laugh out loud funny.
I will ponder this question and return. Thank you for the Bauer blog link. I have been over there laughing too. And I think I joined his dag club!
"Bedtime for Frances" may not make my kids chuckle (although they do like it), but it ALWAYS makes me giggle. Frances, and her father, are just so real in this book --I love it! My kids laugh out loud always when we read Chester by Melanie Watt. Changing voices make such a difference with funny books, including that one.
I like the Stinky Face series by Lisa McCourt. They make me laugh. Thanks for dropping by my blog today, btw.
Corey, I just today took Scaredy Squirrel out of the library, before I ever saw your post on my blog. Odd.
Big Bad Bunny by Franny Billingsley cracks me and my kids up; the mean bunny pictures are awesome.
And it's early reader, but we also laugh aloud at Three Stories You Can Read to Your Dog, which is written in second person and directed at your dog.
Love your blog ... so glad to find it! It's not necessarily the books that make our kids chuckle, but the way it's read ... for example, the SkippyJon Jones series ... with parts read with the best Spanish accent you can muster ... that's had our kids giggling out loud. Or ... with the 'If you Give a Mouse...' series of books ... sometimes we replace an item with a different word ... and they just start giggling like crazy when they realize that we've toyed with the wording! :-)
I can't think of any that make me laugh. No doubt I'll hit 'post comment' and suddenly think of 6!
The Richard Dreyfuss post over at MGB was hysterical!
Am now bobbing over to Book Chook to read her review of Don't Call Me Ishmael.
You're keeping me busy tonight!
When my son was 2, BLUE HAT, GREEN HAT by Sandra Boynton had him cracking up. Of course, his cracking up cracked me up.
Thanks for the tip on the David Robert's interview!
My daughter laughs out loud when she reads the "Dumb Bunny" books by Dave Pilkey. And today she was reading "Ms. Rubenstein's Beauty" and laughing out loud. That one always makes me laugh. I love that book. And "Pinkalicious" too. I love the word play.
I don't remember hearing our kids laugh more than they did when we read "Little Panda" by Renata Liwska. There's a spread that is particularly brilliant when you don't peek ahead and let it come at you as a surprise. I highly recommend it. (Our review is slated to post in a few weeks...)
If a book makes me laugh--even just a short chuckle--out loud, no matter HOW loud, on the first read, then I count it as laugh-out-loud funny.
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs is one. Hooway for Wodney Wat is another (who doesn't laugh when Camilla whappity-whaps herself when they play Simon Says?)
Knuffle Bunny, when the little girl "went boneless."
You know, Corey, our latest work-in-progress had my oldest laughing outloud. That has to count for something.
Oh! Candace's comment reminded me of a Sandra Boynton one that cracked me up. Moo, Baa, La la la! That book had me rolling, I don't know why.
Carolyn Crimi's "The Louds Move In" has several LOL moments, including the last page, the biggest one of 'em all.
I read a lot more PBs that make me cry instead. Patricia Polacco's new one, "For the Love of Autumn" (guess why I picked it up, LOL) had me whimpering like a baby at the end, with my daughter looking at me like I was crazy!
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