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Its gentle journey begins with melancholy: “It was missing a piece and it was not happy” but concludes with greater self-awareness. The main character is depicted as a Pac-Man-like creature who strives to find what it thinks it’s missing. Simple text and line drawings ideally complement each other in this many-leveled tale.

When lions are roused by the sound of guns, only one young lion (who readers come to know as Lafcadio) stays to dissuade the hunter. Rather than deterring the hunter, Lafcadio winds up eating him, becoming a crack shot, and entering the human world. Humor in wordplay and in line drawings creates contagious fun in this poignant tale of having ties to very different worlds.

Laugh out loud things happen when one has a giraffe who has stretched to become a giraffe and a half. Absurdity and humor build as a boy adds more silly (but rhyming) things to the long-necked animal. Line illustrations build to bring the satisfying tale full circle.

As he did in his earlier collections, Silverstein presents the world with shrewd humor, a bit of rebellion, loads of lively language, and endless reader appeal. His signature line drawings add to the comic appeal of the classic poems presented in this collection.

Meet the Pointy-Peaked Pavarius, a Quick-Disguising Ginnit, and other amazing imaginary critters in this poetic bestiary. Delight in the pages of Silverstein’s only collection illustrated in full color. Wordplay and humor are the hallmarks of this engaging collection.

Try as they might, Cow, Duck, Dog, and Cat just cannot come up with how to stop the baby from crying. With humor and verve, the animals’ efforts ultimately exhaust them — and a smiling baby watches them sleep. Repetition, humor, and lots of opportunity for participation are sure to delight even the youngest child.

In this installment of friends known as the Time Warp Trio, Joe, Fred, and Sam meet key figures from ancient Greek mythology when they’re transported back to Mount Olympus. It all started during a school play about ancient Greece…

Dr. Flossman welcomes his class of incisors, canines, etc. (appropriately for each of the typical mouth’s 32 teeth), providing actual information in a wacky, slightly abstract combination of art and story.

Junie B. worries about her loose tooth. If she’s the first in her class to lose a tooth, will she appear different, weird? It’s inevitable that Junie B.’s tooth comes out and when it does, she sets out to learn what the Tooth Fairy does with all of those teeth. The answer is, of course, addressed in Junie B.’s signature, amusing style!

Peter is now 12 and still tormented by younger brother, Fudge. And then he learns that his parents want to leave New York City for some time in the country — and a new baby in the family. One Fudge is bad enough, but how will Peter cope with yet another? Humor abounds in this recognizable tale.

Now not only does Peter’s little brother, Fudge, decide he loves Peter’s sworn enemy, Sheila Tubman, his parents rent a vacation home with them! There, a grandparent from each family meets, fall in love, and decide to marry — making Sheila and Peter relatives. Rip-roaring humor abounds in this rollicking continuing family saga.

When the Hatchers visit Washington D.C. so that money-obsessed Fudge can see where it is printed, they run into distant cousins who then invite themselves to stay with their relatives in New York City. Chaos ensues when the families share close quarters, all creating lots of laughs for readers.

Jake (aka The Pain), a first grader and his sister, 3rd grader Abigail (aka The Great One), share vignettes in alternating chapters about life and living in their school and at home. Though they are indeed sibling rivals, each child is fiercely loyal to the other and confronts familiar school problems as a duo with verve and humor.

Princess Hyacinth has a truly unique problem. If she doesn’t wear additional weights, she’ll float off to who knows where! One day, the princess, however, takes off — literally — on her own but is rescued in an innovative way. Comic illustrations combine with an understated text for a very funny and very satisfying resolution.

Move over Mother Goose! These cheerfully illustrated ditties not only take off from the earlier rhymes, but add a decidedly contemporary feel with likely appeal especially for truck and grit lovers. The rhymes can be shared aloud or even read aloud with more traditional offerings.

A baby kangaroo jumps out of its mother pouch, each time going a little farther, but each time returning after meeting an unexpected animal. Like children, however, Joey, finally recognizes itself in another and leaves his mother’s safety for a bit longer. Repetition and lively illustrations make this an engaging story.

A boy and his dog foil the ravenous intentions of a super hungry T-Rex that shows up unexpectedly in the backyard. After taming the creature, mom provides a huge plate of pasta to make a “super full dinosaur” who happily leaves, but only after after a very large, satisfying burp. Child-like illustrations add appeal in this very silly, engaging tale.

How many kinds of lights will you see as you and your mother go out on a warm evening? Rich illustration and sparse text allow readers to explore lights all around them ranging from streetlight to starlight in this handsome, cozy book.

The narrator begins his neighborhood trek with an infectious rhyme, saying that some days “you just gotta wokka.” In fact, he is so infectious that others join him to say and show how they wokka-wokka, too. Lively illustrations and playful nonsense rhymes make this a joyful walk down any street.

Leonard is disappointed in superhero school; the only thing his teacher, The Blue Tornado, talks about is math and other dull stuff. Fractions and division come in quite handy for the student team, however, when Ice Zombies appear! Exaggerated humor in both text and illustration make this a real champ.

Ever wonder what pencils and pens do when you fall asleep? Well, Tony’s tools try to help him out by writing his story for school. Humorous illustrations animate writing instruments in this retro-looking fantasy.

Jake (aka the Pain) and his older sister Abigail (the Great One) are back, each sharing one of their experiences, alternating perspectives and voices from one chapter to the next. Each vignette is plausible, recognizable, and often humorous. Cartoon-like illustrations enhance the characterization and their wit.

When Billy Twitters refuses to change his slovenly habits, his parents bring in an immense blue whale which Billy must care for and transport everywhere. How he solves this problem makes a slightly surreal and slyly funny whale of a tale through understated humor in both text and illustration.

A bug-eyed squirrel is obsessed with acorns. He gathers and hides them until he decides to eat them. Instead of finding his own acorns, he snitches other animals’ snacks — but all ends well for squirrel and the others. Readers will enjoy the repetition of words as they look for clues in the very funny, bold illustrations.