Media Matters

 Picture book by Sarah Weeks. The rhyme and rhythm are perfect, and the silliness is charming.

 Book by T. Kingfisher This was a delightful surprise! A fantasy, murder mystery, political intrigue, war strategy, humorous tale that was thoroughly entertaining without resorting to sex, profanity, or virtue-signaling. This would work as a family road trip listen, as ages 9-adult would be entertained.

 Picture book by Jeff Mack. Pretty clever for a book with only one word! Funny surprise ending too.

 Picture book by Robert Munsch. Funny tale that shows the danger of following fads.

 Picture book by Todd Sturgell. I could see kids giggling over the premise of this book that is both a fictional story and contains nonfiction information about animals. You could also start a conversation about when it makes sense to say “Oh yeah?” and defy expectations, and when it makes sense to listen to the advice of someone with more knowledge than you.

 Book by Chris Grabenstein  This was a fun, albeit far-fetched, adventure that I imagine kids ages 9-13 would really enjoy. One thing I appreciated is that its aim was to entertain rather than moralize or push an agenda, and it did so without resorting to potty humor. Both of those are a rarity in modern children’s lit.

 Board book by Sandra Boynton Another fun rhythmic read aloud!

 Board book by Sandra Boynton A book of animal sounds with some humorous twists! Delightful!

 Board book by Sandra Boynton. The rhythm and rhyme make this a joy to read over and over again! 

 Board book by Gabe Pyle. This book has hilarious illustrations in which an octopus has contorted itself to look like various other creatures. The text is simple, but the illustrations are so much fun to examine! Perfect for ages 4-8, but too sophisticated for the board book audience.

 Picture book by Avery Monsen. This book is ingenious! On each page it sets up a rhyme, then ruins it by using a non-rhyming synonym. Kids who understand the concept of rhyming will be unwittingly practicing that skill as they giggle along. So much fun!

 Board book by Sandra Boynton. An adorable board book that explains to some nervous chickens why they are seeing lots of strange creatures (children in costumes) on Halloween. Perfect rhymes as usual with this author!

 Novel by Terry Pratchett. This was clever and darkly humorous, with an interesting lesson about being in control of your own mind and rising above the natural man (or rat or cat). Teens and adults will enjoy this most, but non-squeamish tweens could listen in. It is a bit creepy in the reality of rats eating other rats. I listened to the audiobook and it was pretty good, but I imagine the book would be great too.

Book by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend it, as the narrator was spot on! This is a very funny, romantic fantasy with some loosely accurate historical bits. There’s nothing deep about it, but if you’re in the mood for something light and VERY entertaining to listen to, this is the book you want. It’s also fairly clean (some innuendo between a married couple and a joking reference to never having “kissed with tongue”) , so you could enjoy it with your older teenagers.

 Picture book by Jan Thomas. This is a very funny easy reader! Along with being entertaining, it could also prompt a discussion about preconceived notions and judging others before getting to know them.

 Picture book by Jon Agee. Charming and giggle-worthy book about a bear who agrees to be pulled out of a hat by a struggling magician.

 Picture book by Diane Stanley. This is a fun retelling of the Jack and the Beanstalk story from the point of view of the giant. Turns out it’s the story of two nice boys who just love their pets!  The nods to all the other Jacks in nursery rhymes is an added bonus. This book is wordy and meant for older children who are already familiar with the traditional story.

 Picture book by David LaRochelle. This is a beginning reader that is also very entertaining and humorously tongue-in-cheek.

 Picture book by Oliver Jeffers. This book employs absurd humor as a little boy does a very poor job of problem-solving how to get his kite unstuck from a tree.  Laugh out loud ridiculousness ensues. This could lead to a discussion weighing the merits of careful, thoughtful problem-solving vs. just throwing things at the problem without thinking through the consequences. Activity idea: Fly a kite together.

 Picture book by Mac Barnett. Hilarious book that is part nonfiction (How a book gets made) interspersed with humorously outrageous fictional tidbits. Definitely giggle worthy and tongue in cheek. Activity idea: Create your own book together.