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Picture books have universal appeal. Although publishers market them for young children, older children and adults still enjoy good picture books. I’ve seen high school teachers use them effectively to illustrate a point and my college professors even used them during my teaching credential program. The picture books were always the highlight of the lecture.
My nine-year-old regularly comes into the room when I’m reading a picture book to my five-year-old, especially when he hears laughter. Our favorite and most memorable picture books are humorous. My boys can’t resist a funny picture book. And neither can I.
Here are our top five favorite picture books in the funny/humorous genre. These are all books we’ve read recently. I would love to hear your recommendations in the comments section below. We’re always on the lookout for new, funny picture books.
1. Don’t Call Me Choochie Pooh!
Don’t Call Me Choochie Poo by Sean Taylor is a hilarious account of a little dog who just wants to be treated like a normal dog. He longs to play with the other dogs and fetch sticks at the park. Instead, his owner dresses him in bows, feeds him heart-shaped puppy treats, and carries him around in her handbag. He hates it most when she calls him pet names like Choochie Pooh!
My boys think Don’t Call Me Choochie Pooh is hilarious. They can relate to the canine narrator. When I fuss and make them dress nicely for school pictures, they hate it. They would rather wear their Dino t-shirts and comfy shorts. Like Choochie Pooh, they just want to be ordinary boys who play in the mud and chase each other.
The highlight of this book is when the canine narrator realizes that even the big, tough dogs from the dog park get called pet names by their owners. My sons erupt into giggle fits when Chief, the biggest, toughest dog of them all, gets called “Hunky Punky pumpkin bottom”. How can you not laugh reading that aloud.
Your boys will love Don’t Call Me Choochie Pooh! and find it very relatable.
2. No, David
What can I say? There aren’t many words in No, David by Dave Shannon, but young children are sure to relate to the funny pictures of David drawing on the walls, attempting to steal cookies from the cookie jar, tracking mud all over the house, and splashing in the bath tub. David is dirty, messy, and noisy. He even makes a potato person out of his food at dinner.
The illustrations in this book are simple. They look like a child drew them. My sons like this because it looks like something they could draw. David’s expressions are priceless.
My sons’ favorite page shows a picture of a naked David running down the street while his mom yells, “Come back here, David!” The minute I open to this page my sons erupt into laughter. Your boys are sure to love No, David.
3. Naked
Speaking of naked, the picture book Naked written by comedian Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi really got my boys giggling. I don’t know what it is about my boys and naked pictures, but they sure do make my sons laugh. The cute illustrations of the little boy running through the house completely free and naked while his mom tries to catch him will appeal to all picture book fans.
When the boy’s mom finally catches him, we think the fun is all over. Then, he gets a cape. What could be better?
4. I Am Invited to a Party!
I Am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems is so much fun to read aloud. When Gerald the Elephant tells Piggie he knows parties and then advises him to dress for a fancy pool costume party the results are hilarious. My children and I love reading this one. My boys especially like chiming in when Gerald and Piggy dance around chanting, “Party! Party! Party! Party!”
I highly recommend I Am Invited to a Party! as a read aloud or a great book for early readers.
5. Diary of a Wombat
Diary of a Wombat is written by Jackie French and illustrated by Bruce Whatley.
The story begins with wombat’s diary entries. He eats grass, scratches, and sleeps. Life is dull. Then, he meets his new human neighbors.
Wombat takes a dust bath and ruins the family barbecue. Then, he wrestles with the doormat because thinks it’s a flat, hairy creature invading his territory. He defeats the doormat and demands carrots as a reward. When the carrots are not delivered he chews a hole through the front door. The second night he faces a reinforced door so has to be ingenious and bash the metal trash can. After destroying the flower bed, pulling clothes off the clothes line, and eating all the carrots in the garden, wombat decides humans are easily trained and make good pets.
At the end of the funny tale wombat digs a hole right below the house to be closer to his human family. Diary of a Wombat is a funny, endearing story from wombat’s perspective.
Our Five Funny Favorites
These are the Grant Family funny favorites from this year. Each one of these books had us laughing out loud and my children demanded multiple readings. My sons even read these books to each other using some of the same inflections I did. Reading picture books aloud is a great way to encourage children to read with expression. Modeling how to do this, even when your children are older, will help tremendously when they are asked to read aloud or speak in school.
I hope you get a chance to read these funny picture books. I have included affiliate links to amazon.com in case you would like to order any of them. Or, you can check them out from your local library.
I would love to hear your top five funny recommendations in the comments section. Thanks for reading!
