10 Laugh-out-loud Funny Children’s Books

If laughter is the best medicine, then these 10 books will cure whatever ails you. I’m always looking for good book recommendations, so today I’m sharing my own recommendations of the best funny children’s books to read with your preschooler. Happy reading!

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I love books. When I taught middle school, I spent most of the money I received each year for classroom supplies on books for my classroom library. I used this library to help my students find books they liked, and I would allow them to check them out from me to take home and read.

I would tell my students, “There are more than 16 million books in the Library of Congress. You can’t hate ALL of them. If you think you don’t like to read, you’ve just been reading the wrong books.”

For a lot of these kids, the key to their reader’s heart was finding a book that would make them LAUGH. I went through more copies of the Percy Jackson books than I can count because my students loved them to death…over and over again.

It’s no different with my own kids.

We go to the library every week to explore new books, and most of their favorites are ones that are ridiculously silly. I love when we find a book that we can giggle together about as we snuggle up on the couch.

Here are ten of our very favorite laugh-worthy books that both you and your child will surely enjoy!

Best Funny Children’s Books

…in no particular order

(except that this first one is super sentimental)

1. Tacky the Penguin – Helen Lester
   Tacky was an ODD bird. He didn’t fit in with the other perfect penguins on the ice berg, but one day, it turns out his quirkiness is just what they need. I have loved this book ever since I was in first grade and memorized it for an oral competition. I found it at a thrift store a couple years ago, and I was so happy to be able to share it with Little Man. There’s nothing better than hearing him stomp around the house singing, “How many toes does a fish have?!” In fact, we just read it before nap time today. It’s super silly, but it also has a great message about how being different can be a good thing sometimes.
2. King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub – Don & Audrey Wood
   No matter what anyone tries to say or do to convince him, King Bidgood simply refuses to get out of his bathtub. What will finally get him back on the throne? My husband brought this home from the library a few months ago, and we instantly loved it. It’s a Caldecott Honor Book, and with good reason. The illustrations are beautiful, and the story is witty. We read it SO many times before we had to return it, and Little Man wanted to check it out again.
3. Falling for Rapunzel – Leah Wilcox
   Rapunzel has a hard time understanding the prince who comes to rescue her, and she keeps throwing more and more ridiculous things in this twisted fairy tale. Will they still find true love? This book is great for fairy tale lovers and kids who like watching people get pelted by cantaloupes. A completely absurd retelling of the classic Rapunzel story that shows that happily-ever-after sometimes comes in unexpected ways.
4. It’s a Tiger! – David LaRochelle
   This story starts in the jungle where the monkeys swing from tree to tree—but wait! Was that a…TIGER?! Kids will love participating in this exciting and silly book about a boy running away from a tiger over and over. Little Man’s favorite was yelling “It’s a TIGER!” every time the ferocious (but not too scary) feline appeared.
5. Duck! Rabbit! – Amy Krouse Rosenthal
   Is it a duck or a rabbit? Who knows? This simple story is so imaginative! It reminds me of gazing at the clouds and trying to discover animals and shapes in them. It’s also a great way to talk about the idea of perspective and how sometimes two people can see the same thing in different ways.
6. A Birthday for Cow – Jan Thomas
   Pig and mouse are making cow a cake for his birthday, but Duck has other ideas about how to make the day special.This book is so simple, but it had both me and Little Man laughing until our stomachs hurt. In fact, we found it again at the library yesterday, and he insisted on checking it out. Short, silly, and celebratory. With…a turnip!
7. I Broke My Trunk – Mo Willems
   Gerald comes to play with Piggie, but he has a broken trunk. How did it happen? It’s a LOOOONG story. Elephant and Piggie books are well-loved and for good reason. They’re written by Mo Willems, who was made famous by his award-winning story, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Because these books have only a few words per page, they’re perfect for emerging readers. This is one of our recent favorites, but you can’t go wrong with any of the 25 books in this series.
   
   
8. Click, Clack, Moo! Cows That Type – Doreen Cronin
   “Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type….” To make matters worse, every time the farmer tries to solve his problem, things just get worse. Thankfully, duck is a neatral party. But will he actually help? This book has been around for years, but it’s good enough to make my top 10 list. The simple, witty text and playful illustrations make this an instant classic. It’s no wonder it’s a Caldecott Honor-winning book.
9. An Undone Fairy Tale – Ian Lendler
   Ned is trying to write a fairy tale, but you (the reader) keep turning the pages faster than he can illustrate…and the story unravels from there. I read this book several years ago, and still laugh about it. I love that the story talks directly to the reader (a lot like The Monster at the End of This Book), and my kids think it’s SOOO funny to turn the page despite the main character’s pleadings no to do so.
10. This is a Moose – Richard T. Morris
    This story is about a moose…who wants to be an astronaut. Moose can’t be astronauts though…or can they? This book is hands-down my favorite children’s book I’ve discovered in the past year. Maybe it’s just because I first read it after a VERY long day and I needed a good laugh, but I still enjoy it every time. It was a Beehive Book Award nominee (Utah’s version of a people’s choice award) that we discovered through the library, and we loved it so much that we now own it. If you read ONE book from today’s list, let it be this one.

What are YOUR favorite funny children’s books to read with your kids? Please share in the comments!

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