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Growing Reader

Legitimately Funny Books To Read Aloud With Your Kids

by Tom Burns

Photo credit: MoMo Productions, DigitalVision Collection/Getty Images

How many kids’ books have ever made you straight up LOL?

I can’t count all the great children’s books that have made me smile or even tear up over the years, but I could easily count with just a few fingers the titles that have almost made me shoot milk out of my nose.

If you’re looking to share a few belly laughs while reading with your young ones, here are 11 great kids’ books that really know how to bring the funny.

RELATED: Hilarious New Read-Alouds To Share With Kids

The Book with No Pictures

The Book with No Pictures

by B.J. Novak

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Before you ask, yes, there really are no pictures in this kids’ book. The author, B.J. Novak from "The Office," admits upfront that a book with no pictures might seem “boring” and “serious,” but he quickly reveals how much power words actually have. “Here is how books work,” he tells us, “Everything the words say, the person reading the book has to say.” And Novak has a lot of fun making the reader do just that, writing lines like “Ba-Dooongy Face!” and “I am a monkey who taught myself to read.” It’s a genius concept and your kids will love watching you submit to the book’s fiendishly funny whims.

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The Book That Almost Rhymed

The Book That Almost Rhymed

by Omar Abed, illustrated by Hatem Aly

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A young boy has written a rhyming story, but when he starts to read it aloud, his younger sister interjects her own (non-rhyming) ideas! At first, he is annoyed, but as he integrates his sister’s suggestions, he realizes that the unlikely collaboration made the story even better. Young readers will giggle over every silly interruption and non-rhyming line in this adorable picture book.

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We Found a Hat

We Found a Hat

by Jon Klassen

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Jon Klassen is the Tig Notaro of hat-based humor. His deadpan game is so strong, SO strong, and he’s brought his deceptively dead-on timing to a trilogy of just ridiculously funny picture books. The simple premises are conveyed by the titles — I Want My Hat Back, This Is Not My Hat, and (finally) We Found A Hat — but Klassen’s knack with visual humor make them all pure comedy gold.

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Mr. Fox's Game of No!

Mr. Fox's Game of No!

by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

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Young readers will love trying to beat Mr. Fox at his game. As Mr. Fox asks questions, you must answer with “No” even when the correct answer is “Yes!” Say the wrong thing, and you have to start the book from the beginning. This interactive and giggle-worthy picture book will have kids in stitches!

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17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore

17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore

by Jenny Offill, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

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Your children will adore this book and it will make you very, VERY nervous. (Fair warning.) A young girl has begrudgingly created an illustrated list of 17 things that she’s never allowed to do again. 17 things that will have you wondering “WAIT, she actually did that stuff?!” The scenarios are so wicked, funny, and filled with brilliantly sadistic kid logic that you’ll find your children laughing way too hard and find yourself wondering, “Maybe I should’ve read them Goodnight Moon tonight.”

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Don't Trust Fish

Don't Trust Fish

by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat

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Nature lovers will laugh out loud at this absurd guide to fish and the reasons why they aren’t trustworthy creatures. From their diabolical eating habits to their highly questionable “schools,” readers will learn that fish are far less trustworthy than previously thought. The more harmless they appear, the more suspicious you need to be!

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Interrupting Chicken

Interrupting Chicken

by David Ezra Stein

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This book, all about bedtime reading, might actually be too funny to read at bedtime. A little chicken wants her daddy to read her a bedtime story, but she can’t stand to watch her beloved fairy tale characters make mistakes. So she interrupts and interrupts and interrupts — all in an attempt to rewrite her favorite stories. Stein’s book shows kids that being an active participant in storytelling can be both exciting and very, very funny.

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It Started with a P

It Started with a P

by Brittany Pomales, illustrated by Andrew Joyner

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When King Liam has a dream that something starting with a P will ruin his birthday party, he banishes everything that begins with that letter. Suddenly, everything from pizza and piñatas to presents and people must go. Readers of all ages can’t help but chuckle at the silly king and his misguided attempt to save his birthday party by inadvertently ruining it.

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Lion Lessons

Lion Lessons

by Jon Agee

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It’s common knowledge that there are seven steps to becoming a lion. (You didn’t know? Where have you been?) When a rather sheepish boy decides to train with a Lion Expert — that is, a lion — he’s put through his paces: Looking Fierce, Prowling Around, Roaring, Blowing Out That Luxurious Mane, and the like. Kids will love earning their own stripes (or roars?) with the ultimate knowledge that Looking Out for Your Friends is the bravest step of all.

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Hank Goes Honk

Hank Goes Honk

by Maudie Powell-Tuck, illustrated by Duncan Beedie

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Hank is a rude, self-obsessed goose who interrupts conversations, pops other animals’ balloons, and only talks about himself. His rude behavior drives everyone else away. In an effort to make friends, Hank tries to improve his behavior. However, he soon realizes that bad habits are hard to break. Vibrant illustrations, hilarious noises, and rib-tickling humor will make this picture book a favorite for readers of all ages.

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The Bear Ate Your Sandwich

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich

by Julia Sarcone-Roach

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The cover alone is enough to get young readers laughing about this one. Listen, your sandwich is gone — a bear ate it! It was definitely a bear. No doubt about it, 100% a bear. The hilarious story of the bear’s journey to said sandwich is so absorbing, your kids won’t start wondering about a duplicitous narrator until the unexpected, uproarious end.

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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2015 and updated in 2025.