Miss Doover introduces her students to the art of composing thank you notes, though Jack must revise and expand his letter several times. In the process, he comes to appreciate his teacher’s patience. Humorous illustrations and naive sentiments make a recognizable story.
Thank You, Miss Doover
Erin loves dinosaurs and so describes all the fun they’ll have in a letter inviting a tyrannosaurus to her birthday party. The broad humor of the huge dinosaur playing party games and similar activities conveyed in comic illustration and understated text is sure to create giggles galore.
Dear Tyrannosaurus Rex
Red’s feisty grandmother enlists the wolf as her assistant muffin maker in this contemporary parody of the traditional fairy tale..
Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale
Little Red Riding Hood gets a Wild West twist in a funny version of the familiar tale. On her way to visit Grandma, Little Red meets a wily wolf in the desert….But Grandma runs in to save the day!
Little Red Cowboy Hat
The rascally child introduced in Chicken Butt returns. Here, he gets his poor mom to say all kinds of rhyming words as he plays with homophones (think: but, butt; bare, bear). Cartoon illustrations add to the humor of the mother-son conversation.
Chicken Butt’s Back
The rhyming conversation between a boy and his dad begins when a naughty chicken follows them home. As the father reads his newspaper, the boy asks, “You know what?” “What?” A turn of the page reveals the rhyming response. Rollicking good kid humor abounds in both the dialogue and the comic illustrations.
Chicken Butt
Billy is only eight-years old but regales Mrs. Krupp and his classmates when he shares myriad, imaginative, sometimes offbeat, career interests. Rhyming language is animated, humorous, and exaggerated, and perfectly complemented by comical illustrations.
When I Grow Up
Summer camp adventures — from arts and crafts to games to hiking — are presented in rhymes that can be sung to familiar tunes. Slightly irreverent humor in text and illustrations are sure to make this a memorable experience for campers and non-campers alike.
Mosquitoes Are Ruining My Summer and Other Silly Dilly Camp Songs
Feared by the townsfolk, only young Sam understands outlaw Dirk Yeller’s “itchin’ and twitchin.’” And Sam has the cure: a visit to the local library where Dirk finds adventure — and love. Animated, twangy language and caricature-like illustrations make a memorable tall tale.
The Day Dirk Yeller Came to Town
Mercy, the delightful pig adopted by the Watson family, gets mixed up in all kinds of humorous adventures in this collection from Newbery winner Kate DiCamillo.
The Mercy Watson Collection: Volume 1
Only one ‘unsatisfactory’ tarnishes Stink’s report card: physical education. Smaller children will empathize with Judy Moody’s little brother as he tries to find a sport that he likes and can excel in — which just might be thumb-wrestling! The series continues with verve and good humor.
Stink and the Ultimate Thumb-Wrestling Smackdown
Animal buddies at the boardinghouse for animals do their best to make the new guest comfortable while on a vacation. But what is this chicken up to? And can the other animals prevent an awful occurrence? Lively language and likeable critters create an engaging novel.
Magic at the Bed and Biscuit
Some of them worked; others didn’t but all were based in the folk and academic traditions of the times. With wit and insight, historical medical remedies from around the world are introduced as is the science behind them. Additional resources end this amusingly illustrated book.
I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat: History’s Strangest Cures
A sly walrus evades the zookeeper, all the while hiding in plain sight: at a lunch counter, in a window display, and many equally obvious (and silly) places. After taking a swimming prize, the walrus returns to the zoo. Flat forms augment the understated comedy of this wordless tale.
Where’s Walrus?
“Things were quiet on the Tuckers’ farm…” but really took off once a peacock came to live with them. The chickens become jealous and so trade places with the peacock with very funny results. Cartoon illustrations add humor and charm to the understated, appealing text.
Three Hens and a Peacock
Cloudette, a small cumulus, has a crisis of confidence when she compares herself to the more dramatic clouds. One day, however, Cloudette finds herself far from the others and learns that even the smallest can make a big difference. Cartoon illustrations effectively convey emotions.
Cloudette
Once you’ve joined Froggy and his family on their Hawaiian vacation, find out more about what many have called a tropical paradise in the Pacific Ocean. You can read about the geography of the Aloha State in Hawaii.
Country of origin: Hawaii, USA
Froggy Goes to Hawaii
While on their outing, baby always responds “moo” when asked by mom and dad what animals say. Slightly older children will see the humor in the predictable pattern and lighthearted illustrations — until baby gets it right when he sees a black and white cow!
Baby Says “Moo”
Read the back story of why — and how — the cow who jumped over the moon (made famous in the nursery rhyme) was able to accomplish this feat. Though no longer in print, this funny parody may be available used or at libraries.
Moonstruck: The True Story of the Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon
A lively, brief, rhyming look at various inventions and the people who created them weaves together with the author’s speculation about what might have been behind the brainchild. Fact and fancy combine to motivate a new generation of inventors!
Imaginative Inventions
An older sibling details what she can do that her new brother can’t (like sitting forward in the car) but, she acknowledges, babies are really good at other things (like hugging). Children will recognize the everyday activities and the in the text and funny illustration.
How to Be a Baby… by Me, the Big Sister
Households are changed when a new baby arrives — especially when the addition assumes the position of boss! Readers will recognize the humor in the exaggerated role of one family’s latest addition revealed in understated language and comic illustrations.
Boss Baby
Tiny Little Fly sees many things and lands on something quite large: a series of bigger animals. No matter, Tiny Little Fly won’t be caught and zooms away. A large format and textured illustrations combine with a rhyming text for a simple, satisfying saga.
Tiny Little Fly
Humorous illustration and color-coded, rhyming text present retellings of familiar fables that include the morals (though with a light touch). Newly independent readers will have fun reading the short, snappy text with a second reader as they enjoy the cheery visuals.