Rhyming stories Archives -Imaginations Running Wild-

One of the best ways to get your child interested in books is to choose ones that will make them laugh. I’ve gathered a list of tried-and-true funny picture books for little kids. Get ready to laugh along with your child at these giggle-inducing, silly, funny stories!

20 Laugh-Out Loud Funny Books:

1. The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak–

When I asked my son what the funniest book he has ever read is, BJ Novak’s The Book with No Pictures is the first one he thought of! This book is set up as a practical joke on the reader who has to read every word on the page — even the super silly made-up words! My son laughed and laughed as I read this one. He loved the part where I had to say the my friend is a hippo named Booboo Butt. To make up for the lack of pictures, there are a mix of colored fonts, different type faces, and word sizes to keep the book from looking boring.

2. Silly Sally by Audrey Wood —

Your preschooler is going to love this one! Silly Sally went to town, walking backwards upside down. Along the way she encounters a pig, a dog, a loon, a sheep, and Neddy Buttercup, who is walking forwards, right-side up. They dance, they play, they sing, and they sleep, before finally making it to town.

3. Billy Bloo is Stuck in Goo by Jennifer Hamburg–

This is one my son’s all-time favorite books! Billy Bloo gets stuck in goo. Who will save him? A whole series of silly characters try and rescue him, only to find themselves stuck too. Yikes! A cowgirl, a pirate, acrobats, and even the Queen are stuck, and its starting to look like they may never get out. An unlikely critter passes by, a scared shriek from one of the would-be rescuers, and suddenly they are being dragged out, one-by-one. Hurray! You and your kiddo will be cracking up throughout this book!

4. Kiwi Cannot Reach! by Jason Tharp —

This story is laugh-out-loud funny and interactive. Kids will love helping Kiwi attempt to reach the rope that is hanging from the top of the page. The ending will result in lots of giggling and requests to read it again and again! We had checked this out from the library and my son loved it so much that I ended up buying it for him — it is still a favorite at bedtime! Check this out from your local library, or buy it from Amazon here.

5. Sheep Dog and Sheep Sheep by Eric Barclay–

This book is so funny! My son and I just cracked up reading it. This book is about a whimsical, but clueless sheep and the sheepdog who tries to protect her. Sheep is a self-declared expert at watching sheep. When the dog arrives to take over the position, sheep decides to help sheepdog do the job properly. Sheep pins back the dog’s hair from its eyes, finds some binoculars, and gets a map. While Sheep is being “helpful,” the dog has to save her from predators, as well as her own mishaps because she is not paying attention. After both go through so much trouble to help the other, Sheep realizes that she is NOT a sheep watching expert. What is she supposed to do now? Dog suggests that maybe Sheep is dog-sheep. Of course! Everyone knows that Sheep is an expert at watching dogs.

6. Duck on a Bike by David Shannon–

One day duck sees a bike parked by the farm and decides to give bike-riding a try. The other farm animals think this is one of the silliest things they have ever seen. But as duck’s riding improves, the animals are impressed. When a group of children all ride up to the farm and leave their bikes outside, all of the animals hop on! The pictures add to the humor of this silly story and you’ll find yourself giggling alongside your child.

7. Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups by Tadgh Bentley–

Little Penguin eats some chili and gets the hiccups! Nothing is making them go away. Maybe you can help scare the hiccups out of Little Penguin? Get ready for a humorous interactive story. Kids will like the cute little penguin, yelling “boo,” and the surprise friend at the end!

8. Fox Versus Winter by Corey R. Tabor–

In this humorous book, Fox does not like winter. His friends hibernate and migrate, leaving him lonely. Fox gets an idea to make new friends out of snow, but they are not as much fun as his old friends. What’s Fox to do? He decides to fight winter! Get ready to laugh as Fox gets a flame thrower and tries to melt winter. Winter fights back and Fox gets covered in snow. Just then, Rabbit appears. Rabbit teaches Fox to appreciate winter and Fox finds that with a friend by his side, everything can be enjoyable.

9. Snail and Worm by Tina Krugler–

Get ready to laugh with Snail and Worm! These two best friends will crack you up as they explore the world around them. Each book contains three short stories filled with jokes, hilarious misunderstandings, and friendship. You can’t help but fall in love with these two! The fun continues in more books in the series.

10. Please Don’t Eat Me by Liz Climo–

When a burrowing rabbit mistakenly ends up popping up in front of bear, the rabbit goes to extraordinary lengths to convince the bear not to eat it. As bear’s humorous list of demands grow, the rabbit decides that maybe its easier to just be eaten! Bear isn’t as hungry as he lets on; he really just wants a friend. These two form an unlikely friendship and a pizza.

11. Unicorns are the Worst! by Alex Willan —

This is my son’s favorite unicorn book! It’s hilariously told from the viewpoint of a goblin, whose own magical greatness is overshadowed by unicorns. (He can turn a piece of broccoli into broc coli-flavored ice cream and socks into slugs!) The goblin grumbles about his unicorn neighbors, proclaiming that they are the worst, that is until they save him from a dragon.

12. Snail Crossing by Corey R. Tabor–

This book is hilarious!!! And it is so darn cute. We love the snail’s determination and positive attitude. The message of helping others and working toward your goals makes this book a winner. We just keep rereading this one and we laugh every single time –seriously, it is a family favorite! My son even insisted that we buy copies for two of his cousins

13. The Squirrels Who Squabbled by Rachel Bright —

Rachel Bright is a fantastic author! My son and I love her books, and I have read several of her stories to the library’s preschool storytime group, who agree that she rocks! In this book, squirrels Cyril and Bruce get in a fight over the last acorn. In a story similar to the Ant and the Grasshopper, one unprepared-for-winter squirrel is ready to do battle for the last acorn. The squirrels’ squabbles lead them on a hilarious adventure!

14. The Hiccupotamus by Aaron Zenz–

We love this silly tongue-twisting tale of a hippo that comes down with the hiccups. Its hiccups are so bad that the hippo disrupts all of the animals around him. The animals get together and decide that something must be done to cure hippo of the hiccups. Each attempt at a cure is hilarious and the rhyming, tongue twisters adds to giggles. Your preschooler will laugh their way through this book!

15. Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein–

Little red chicken just can’t keep from interrupting the bedtime stories! She knows all of the stories and doesn’t want to see the character get into trouble or do something silly so she interrupts the story. Unable to make any reading progress with all of the interruptions, papa chicken asks little red chicken to tell him a story. Little red chicken makes her her story, complete with pictures, to share with her dad. Unfortunately dad falls asleep and his snores interrupts the story! A sweet ending of cuddles makes this a great story for bedtime.

16. Firefighter Duckies by Frank Dormer–

Firefighter Duckies is absolutely hilarious!!! You and your child will laugh-out-loud all through this book as the poor firefighter duckies rescue whales in trees and put out a burning chef’s hat. Every disaster is super silly. Nevertheless, through it all, “they are brave, they are strong, they are….firefighter duckies!” If you think you are up to laughing this much, then check out Firefighter Duckies from your library.

17. Chez Bob by Bob Shea–

We are huge fans of Bob Shea! My family loves his humor. In this funny picture book, Bob an alligator, just wants to eat some birds. He comes up with a plan to turn his face into a bird restaurant in order to get his dinner to come to him. When his idea surprisingly works, greedy Bob develops an even greater plan to attract more birds. Soon Bob finds himself invested in the community–he is a small business owner after all 🙂 What starts off as a lazy way to attract dinner to eat turns into a comical friendship between a hungry alligator and birds.

18. I Really Like Slop by Mo Willems–

All of the Elephant and Piggie books are fantastic, but this one in the series is a favorite of ours. Piggie makes a pot full of slop, which looks gross and smells disgusting, but she claims it tastes great. Do you know how she gets that old shoe flavor? by adding old shoes!!! Will Gerald be brave enough to try even the tiniest bit of slop? Find out in this laugh-out-loud story that is filled with hilarious illustrations and funny jokes.

19. The Underpants Zoo by Brian Sendelbach–

The Underpants Zoo was always a hit with my library preschool storytime group! They would giggle the whole way through and we had to stop reading multiple times so the kids could talk about the pictures (an anteater with ants in its underpants — whaaaaat?!?!?). My son loves this book too and he really enjoys pouring over the silly pictures.

20. Chicken Little by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley–

In this comical retelling of the folktale, Rebecca and Emberley deliver a hilariously funny story about a bunch of silly birds who mistakenly think the world is coming to an end. In their panic, these birdbrains make mistake after mistake and end up hiding in the mouth of a sly fox. Will they escape or is this really the end of these farm-yard birds? Accompanied by bright pictures that feature a frenzy of crazy-looking eyes and feathers that add to the absurdity of this story.

Please check your public library for these funny picture books. If you choose to purchase them, please note that I joined Amazon’s Affiliate program to try and help cover the costs of my website. So if you buy something through one of my links, then I get a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support! Happy reading 🙂

More Books!

If you are looking for even more book recommendations, check out my book lists organized by topic. I’ve got lists of great animals stories, books about holidays and seasons, and even a list of silly rhyming stories!

Fall, Halloween

Witch Stories

October 3, 2022October 5, 2022 Jennifer

It’s spooky season and young children want to get in on the fun! Here are eight fantastic witch-themed stories that are not scary, but add a fun, spooky element to reading time. Grab your broom and be prepared to read these over and over again! Be sure to check your public library for these books. My son and I also made lists of our favorite MONSTER stories, SKELETON books, and BAT stories to share too!

Eight Witch Stories:

1. Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson–

This is one of my favorite books! My son and I love this rhyming story about a kind witch who keeps losing things as she flies through the night. She repeatedly has to stop and look for her missing things. While searching for her belongings, she also finds new friends. Soon her broom is full as the witch, a cat, a dog, a frog, and a bird soar through the night. Suddenly a hungry dragon appears and captures the witch! It looks like this might be the end for the witch, but her friends come to her rescue and chase the dragon away 🙂

2. Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara —

A girl and her cat move into a haunted house! Turns out this little girl is actually a witch and she knows exactly what to do with ghosts! This is a fairly short book, with not a lot of text per page. The illustrations are done in orange and black and really capture the reader’s attention. Your preschooler will enjoy studying the pictures and seeing the witch’s creative uses for ghosts.

3. There’s a Witch in Your Book by Tom Fletcher–

Tom Fletcher’s “Who’s in Your Book” series is so much fun! Each book is interactive and filled with super cute illustrations. My son really enjoys these stories and we read them over and over again! In this book, the little witch has landed in your book and she is making a huge mess. Stop her! Oh no, now she cast a magic spell! Help defeat the spell by using your finger as a wand. Follow the steps to save your book!

4. Lulu Goes to Witch School by Jane O’Connor–

Author Jane O’Connor of the Fancy Nancy series introduces you Lulu the witch. Lulu is so excited to start school! Her first day goes great — she loves her teacher (Miss Slime) and her broom flying lesson. She likes all of other witches in her class, except for one. Sandy Witch does everything better than Lulu and Lulu is feeling frustrated. A rivalry ensues until both little witches come down with lizardpox. Lulu and Sandy both return to school covered with spots, afraid their classmates will make fun of them. Sandy and Lulu bond over their spots and become friends afterall.

5. Humbug Witch by Lorna Balion–

This is a cute story about an imaginative little girl. While it is an older story, my son still likes it! In the book, this little witch has a problem — she just can’t get her spells to turn out right! She looks the part–she has a black witch hat, and a witch nose, and pointy witch shoes, and a cat–but no magic. Turns out the reason little witch can’t do magic is because she’s really a girl playing dress-up.

6. 10 Busy Brooms by Carole Gerber–

I love counting books! They are a fun way to incorporate math into preschoolers’ learning. Preschoolers will love the pictures of the witches flying past other “spooky” creatures like skeletons and mummies. The illustrations are bright and cheerful without being scary. Examine each picture closely and try and find the owl and cat hidden in every scene!

7. Mrs. Blackhat by Mick Inkpen–

Mrs. Blackhat is a witch who loves the color black so much that everything she has is black. Along comes an orange cat. What is Mrs. Blackhat supposed to do with a cat that isn’t black? She tries to cast a spell (with hilarious words like “toilet trouble”), but nothing works. Find out what happens to the cat by checking out this fun, rhyming story from your library!

8. How to Catch a Witch by Alice Walstead–

The “How to Catch” series is wildly popular with young children with their rhyming stories and bright illustrations. In this book, a real witch comes to the neighborhood on Halloween night to steal all of the candy. Oh no! The Catch Club kids set all sorts of zany traps to try and catch her before all of the candy is gone. Each trap-gone-wrong will get your child giggling as the witch escapes. I love that the kids use household items like cardboard boxes, so anyone reading this book can get ideas to make their own traps and continue the fun at home!

Disclaimer:

Check your library for these and other witch-themed stories. To help cover the costs of this site, I joined Amazon’s Affiliate program. If you buy a book through one of my links, then I get a small percentage of the sale (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support! Happy Reading 🙂

Uncategorized

17 St. Patrick’s Day Stories for Preschoolers

March 2, 2022March 16, 2022 Jennifer

We love to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in our house. We all get dressed in green and my son makes a leprechaun trap and lots of great crafts! We haven’t caught a leprechaun yet, but they have left some gold chocolate coins and a mess around our house! For years I struggled to find St. Patrick’s Day stories for preschoolers and I am so happy that there are so many options now! Here is a list of books that will engage and delight preschoolers (and their older siblings too). There’s 17 book recommendations so you can read one everyday in March through St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th.

St. Patrick’s Day Stories

1. How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace–

My son really likes this book! It inspired him to make a leprechaun trap of his own. In this book, a leprechaun visits several kid’s houses. The kids have their traps ready. Will one of them catch the leprechaun this year? Get ready for some shenanigans as the leprechaun defeats the traps and escapes. Chaos ensues as some of the traps go haywire. A silly, rhyming book that is sure to capture your child’s imagination.

2. Hooray for St. Patrick’s Day by Joan Holub–

This is a fun rhyming story with flaps for preschoolers to lift. The book is not very long, but gives preschoolers a good overall picture of the holiday. It talks briefly about shamrocks, St. Patrick, how Americans celebrate the holiday by wearing green and eating green foods, and looking for a pot of gold. It’s a cute book and my son loves pointing out that both the dog and the goldfish are wearing green 🙂 Carefully look on each page for a hidden leprechaun!

3. The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day by Natasha Wing —

Told in a rhyming style similar to the famous The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore, this book tells the readers about the night before St. Patrick’s Day. The two kids, Tim and Maureen, are excited for St. Patrick’s Day to arrive because they want to catch a leprechaun. They set an elaborate trap and while they are waiting, they eat green foods and indulge in some holiday fun. They hear a commotion and find that they actually caught a leprechaun! Will he tell them where he buried his gold? Read this one and find out!

4. Green Shamrocks by Eve Bunting–

St. Patrick’s Day is approaching and Rabbit wants to wear shamrocks to the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Rabbit carefully grows shamrocks, making sure that the little plants everything they need. A strong wind blows the pot of shamrocks to Goat’s house. Oh no. Is Goat going to eat them? Nope, Goat is busy eating a rubber ball and an old tin can! Phew, the shamrocks are safe. Rabbit makes a shamrock chain and Goat wears the pot on his head and they head to enjoy the parade with their animal friends. Make this shamrock friend craft to go along with this story 🙂

5. Lucky Tucker by Leslie McGuirk–

It’s March 17th and Tucker, a cute dog, is having a bad day. In an effort to turn his luck around, Tucker rolls in a bed of four leaf clovers. A leprechaun spies him rolling around and tells Tucker that those are the leprechaun’s special lucky clovers. Now Tucker has the luck of the Irish and everything starts going his way! Tucker’s St. Patrick’s Day ends with a box full of new toys—what a lucky dog.

The Gingerbread man and the Leprechaun Loose at School

6. Gingerbread Man and the Leprechaun Loose at School by Diane Murray–

It’s St. Patrick’s Day and a leprechaun is causing trouble all over the school! It’s up to the Gingerbread Man to stop the leprechaun’s shenanigans. The Gingerbread Man builds a leprechaun trap in the classroom and catches him! Now that the leprechaun is caught, he promises to clean up his mess and not cause any more trouble, at least not until next St. Patrick’s Day. This book is a silly, rhyming good time! You and your kiddo will be cracking up through this story 🙂

7. Disney Junior (Mickey Mouse Club House) Top O’ The Clubhouse —

Get ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Mickey Mouse and friends at the Clubhouse. They’ve got it all decorated in green and ready for a party. Oh no, Pete is causing some trouble! Will the party be ruined? Join Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto in this holiday adventure to find out!

8. That’s What Leprechauns Do by Eve Bunting–

I love this book! It was one of my favorites! Three little leprechauns have to bury the gold treasure at the end of the rainbow. They set out to find the end of the rainbow and along the way get into all sorts of mischief because that’s what leprechauns do! This book is lots of fun and will leave you giggling at the leprechauns’ shenanigans. Make an edible cereal rainbow to go along with this book!

9. Pete the Cat: The Great Leprechaun Chase by James Dean–

Pete the Cat starts his own leprechaun-catching business and his friends hire him to capture some luck for them. Clover, the leprechaun, is pretty fast and Pete isn’t having any luck catching him. Pete’s friends are depending on him for help! Finally, Pete catches Clover, only to learn that you don’t need to find luck, you can create your own.

10. Ten Lucky Leprechauns by Kathryn Heling–

This is a cute counting story featuring 10 adorable leprechauns! Preschoolers can count and giggle along with this rhyming story. We loved “revvin’ seven” on a motorbike! Kids will like the cute, bright illustrations and the happy smiles on the leprechauns. Make a leprechaun paper bag puppet to go along with this book.

11. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover by Lucille Colandro–

The old lady is back in another holiday book! This time she is swallowing symbols of St. Patrick’s Day such as a clover, gold coins, and a giant pot. What is she up to? At the end of the story, out of her mouth pops a rainbow and all of the St. Patrick’s Day decorations and symbols. Preschoolers will giggle at this silly lady and yell “You can’t eat that!”

12. The Littlest Leprechaun by Brandi Dougherty–

Brandi Dougherty writes a cute “Littlest” series all about how even the youngest of us can help in a big way. In this St. Patrick’s Day book, Liam the leprechaun wants to help his family with their leprechaun duties. He tries helping the adults around him, but he is too little for those jobs. But when a baby unicorn is stuck, Liam is the perfect one to help free it! Filled with adorable pictures and a sweet message, you and your preschooler will enjoy reading this book together.

13. It’s St. Patrick’s Day! by Rebecca Gomez–

In this short story, preschoolers are introduced to St. Patrick’s Day through rhyming text and cute illustrations. The kids in the story wear green, decorate, eat Irish stew, listen to bagpipes, and participate in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. This book give a nice overview of the holiday celebrations at an easy-to-understand level for preschoolers. Pair this with Sesame Street’s Murray visits an Irish Dancing School short video.

14. Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Curious George by Cynthia Platt —

Margaret and H.A. Rey’s monkey stars in this fun board book all about St. Patrick’s Day. George provides a nice overview of the holiday celebrations by dressing in green, learning some Irish dances, eating yummy traditional foods, and searching for leprechauns. We know George is a good little monkey, but he always finds trouble. With the parade coming, will George be able to stay out of trouble? Check this one out from your library to find out 🙂

15. Pout Pout Fish: Lucky Leprechaun by Wes Adams–

St. Patrick’s Day is so much fun to celebrate that even the ocean creatures get in on the fun! In this story, Mr. Fish dons a green hat and beard to deliver holiday cheer to his friends, but he needs a pot of gold. After lots of searching, Mr. Fish finds a school of small gold-colored fish to pretend to be the gold for his pot and his costume is complete!

16. You’re My Lucky Charm by Natalie Marshall —

This book is a lovely message from a parent to child about how lucky the parent is to have the child in their life. This board book has cut-outs and chunky pieces to feel throughout the pages. It is filled with St. Patrick’s Day images like leprechauns, pots of gold, and rainbows. This sweet rhyming, short story is great for bedtime cuddles.

17. The Luckiest St. Patrick’s Day Ever by Teddy Slater–

This is a rhyming, whimsical story of a leprechaun family celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. Filled with St. Patrick’s Day symbols and lots of green, the leprechauns enjoy a fun parade before heading home for a delicious dinner. The extended family and friends keep arriving and the house is crammed full of leprechauns and they just can’t fit one more. Instead of complaining that the it’s cramped inside, the leprechauns realize that this is the luckiest St. Patrick’s Day ever because they are all together!

We hope you enjoy these St. Patrick’s Day stories as much as we do! Please check your library for these and other great books. I’ve included links to purchase these titles on Amazon. To help cover the costs of this site, I joined Amazon’s Affiliate program. If you buy a book through one of my links, then I get a small percentage of the sale (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support! Happy Reading 🙂