5 Hilarious Picture Books Your Preschooler (and You!) Will Love
When it comes to reading picture books with kids, reading the same stories over and over can become somewhat of a drag. Stories intent on teaching a lesson or introducing a new concept certainly have their place, but sometimes your kids (and you) just need a laugh. My favorite picture books to read at my library story times are picture books that have made me laugh out loud and when I’m getting laughs from both parents and kids, I know I’ve picked a good one. There’s something about child and adult laughing together that is incredibly bonding and makes story time (or bed time) a lot more fun. Here are 5 books that will make both kids and adults laugh out loud.
We Don’t Eat our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
My hands-down, absolute favorite picture book right now, I read this to my five year old baby sister just last week (pictured above). We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins follows Penelope Rex, a nervous little T. Rex, on her first day of school. But Penelope has a problem— she can’t stop eating her classmates! She tries and tries to stop eating them, but how can she when children are so delicious? Some of the witty jokes may fly fly right over your child’s head, but they’ll leave you giggling. Full of playful language and plenty of carnivorous quips, We Don’t Eat our Classmates, is fun and unique. Through a painful lesson, Penelope learns to treat others the way she wants to be treated, and that making friends is a lot easier when you don’t eat them.
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
Did you know that dragons love tacos? Even more, did you know that absolutely, positively, no exceptions, haaaaaaate spicy salsa even more? Dragons Love Tacos by writer Adam Rubin and illustrator Daniel Salmieri invites you into the world of dragons and their love for, you guessed it, tacos. But under no circumstances should there be any spicy salsa on these tacos. Trust me, you don’t want to find out what happens if this sacred rule is broken. For even more dragon-taco fun, read the sequel, Dragons Love Tacos 2.
Waiting is not Easy by Mo Willems
This one is a bit of a cheat. Technically categorized as an early reader rather than a picture book, Waiting is Not Easy comes from Mo Willems’ delightful beginner reader series, Elephant and Piggie. Early reader books are famously boring, full of 3-word sentences and little to no story. New readers need this simplicity to grasp site words and build confidence, but boy, a constant stream of sentences like “See Jane run”, can become grating on parents and make it difficult to keep new readers engaged in the process. Elephant and Piggie is one of those rare series that can keep even reluctant readers interested, with silly antics and funny dialogue bubbles. In Waiting is Not Easy, Piggie has a great surprise for his best friend Gerald, but Gerald is frustrated when Piggie says he must wait all day for it. Things get pretty dramatic with all the waiting and Gerald learns a lesson about patience. With perfectly simple illustrations and snappy bubbled dialogue, this book is funny enough to return to over and over.
The Book with No Pictures by BJ Novak
A picture book with no pictures only works when written by comedy writer, BJ Novak, famous for his work on the hit show The Office, where he also played Ryan (you know, the one who started the fire). Meant to be read aloud, The Book with No Pictures, is full of silly language and made-up words that somehow feel like they maybe should be real. The reader (hopefully a very serious grown up) must commit to reading every word in this book, exactly the way the text suggests. Complete with robot voices and songs about breakfast, this book proves that kids don’t need elaborate illustrations to enjoy a cleverly written picture book. The Book with No Pictures is the perfect addition to a set of hilarious children’s books.
Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins
Another gem from author Ryan T. Higgins (truly, I’d recommend any of his books) this fun take on classic fairy tale follows a grumpy bear named Bruce, who suddenly finds himself the new mother of a freshly hatched goslings. Bruce has no choice but to begrudgingly take on the task of caring for the goslings, and he learns all about mothering along the way. But when it comes time to teach them to fly south for the winter, Bruce has to come up with a creative way to instruct them— and fast! Full of sarcasm and subtle jokes kids might miss but parents will love, this picture book hits the humor spot. The first book in the Mother Bruce series, your first encounter with Bruce and the goslings will make you want to come back for all the others.
And there you have it— 5 funny picture books for your preschooler. Thank you for reading. Want to stay up to date with all of my book recommendations? You can join my email newsletter below.
