Man, I love a good book, especially a good children’s book…
“Hey Piggie, what happened to your nose!”
“It’s a very long story.”
My 5-year-old erupts in a fit of giggles. With joyful tears welling up in his eyes, he says to me “That’s HILARIOUS!! Read it again, Mommy!”
As I turn to the beginning, I realize that this is my favorite part of the day. There’s nothing better than laughing with my kid.
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Experts say that there are three very important times of day to connect with your children, when they first wake up, when they get home from school, and at bedtime.
But man, bedtime can be hard. After barking orders all evening, “clean up your toys!”, “brush your teeth!”, “put on your pajamas!“, it’s difficult to end the day with peace and joy. So, I turn to books to help me reconnect and say goodnight with happy hearts, hugs, and kisses.
Because of my mission to end the day well with my kids, I’ve been turning to books that make both my son and me laugh-out-loud. After all, there’s no better medicine than laughter…
I Broke My Trunk
by Mo Willems
I first heard about Mo Willems through his very popular Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus!
Stuck 
by Oliver Jeffers
Oliver Jeffers is another writer that I gravitate towards. His books are quirky and funny for both parents and kids. Stuck
The Book with No Pictures
by B.J. Novak
My son adores this book! Mainly, he just likes making me look like a fool… The premise of this book is that whoever reads the book, has to read every word….no matter how silly the word is. So parents are stuck yelling words like “Blork!” and sentances like “I’m a _____. Is there any better way to get kids to laugh, than by making the adults in their lives look silly? I think not!
A Perfectly Messed-Up Story
by Patrick McDonnell
This book is whimsy, interactive, and a bit…messy. It’s a story about a boy named Louie, who just wants to tell you a story, but keeps getting interrupted by…you. How dare you drop peanut butter and jelly on him when he’s telling his story?! These little instructions send little Louie over the edge a bit, and he has to learn to persevere and be okay with a little bit of a mess. My son could hardly breathe through his laughter in parts of this book. It’s just that funny.
The Day The Crayons Quit
by Oliver Jeffers
What else would you add to the list? I’m always looking for more!!
“Stand Back,” Said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze!” by Patricia Thomas is one of my all time favorites! Thanks for the book suggestions- I’ll look for them this week!
We love “Not Your Typical Dragon” by Dan Bar-el and “Olivia Forms a Band” by Ian Falconer. We also love any Mo Willems book!
“This Book Just Ate My Dog” I can’t remember the author’s name 🙁 My preschoolers love this book…super funny!
Oh my goodness. I just found this one and read it. Thanks for the recommendation!! It’s hilarious!
For early chapter books Google “books for boys” and you will find the “and then it happened….” series, by Michael Wade. Not just for boys though! I think they are up to 11 books now. The idea was to get more boys reading, and they are laugh out loud hilarious.
Chicken Cheeks by Michael Ian Black ALL different words to name a butt!
Even older kids would like this , I used it to teach synonyms to 3rd graders!
“The Paper Bag Princess” is hilarious as well as empowering for girls. The princess outsmarts the Dragon and rescues her betrothed who is less than grateful, she tells him off and doesn’t marry him.
We have that one too! It IS hilarious!
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Great suggestions. My daughter loves “Must Push Buttons” probably because of the idiotic way my husband reads it. That’s true of a lot of kid lit – my daughter chooses who reads what. Daddy also does “It’s A Book”, “Daddy’s Do It Different,” and “They Happy Hockey Family Moves To The Country” He reads “Dewey Bob Crockett” whereas I tackle the Skippy John Jones” series from the same author. Being English, “Charlie and Lola” are my domain as are the very funny chapter books, Junie B Jones by Barbara Park. We also love the Judy Moody, Stink and Judy and Stink books by Meagan McDonald – those are great when you read to boys or girls, and would be great for boy-girl siblings I imagine, being about a brother and sister. Though we don’t do gender based stuff – to do so so early is just a crying shame.
Mouse Mess is an absolute favorite!
Do you know Naked by Michael Ian Black and Chicken Cheeks? I believe by the same author…
Oh, I don’t! I’m off to look for them right now. Thanks!
Does anyone out there have a list of French books for children 8-11? Merci
My son likes: Les Méchants, Academie Jedi and les Dragouilles.
Also, a lot of the english books like Captain Underpants and Super Dog are available in french.
I just read Thomas’ Snowsuit by Robert Munsch. With all the laughter, I have had to reread it a couple of times!
The Hairy McClary book series are also a winner.
Thank you for the suggestions. It truly is one of the best bonding times of the day.
And one more important moment is the goodbye moment before their school day starts.
Love this post! I’ve been trying to be really intentional about reading to my kids at the end of the day. Usually, reading in our house is hit or miss since by the end of the day we are really trying to rush the kids to bed because it’s time! Thanks for the great ideas!
For Toddlers, we love Sandra Boynton & ND Wilson (Hello Ninja & Blah Blah Black Sheep). They are quirky, gentle and funny. For a little older, There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon is great.
You Don’t Want a Unicorn by Ame Dyckman and A Unicorn Named Sparkle by Amy Young are pretty hilarious books.
“Fortunately, the Milk” by Neil Gaiman. I read this for a children’s lit class and I absolutely love it!
Another great, laugh-out-loud title for kids is called Diary of a Worm! Very fun read with your child that compares and contrasts life from the perspective of a little guy who pushes his way through the dirt!
Researchers have found that reading aloud to children in their primary, preschool, and even baby years promotes language development, pre-reading, reading, and academic learning success. So this post was extremely relevant!
Oh thanks!
The legend of Rock Paper Scissors is a hit in our house; hilarious!