Funny Children’s Books to Get ‘Em Laughing (& Reading!)

“Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type” is a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek story about a scrappy crew of literate cows that go on strike. 

When the cows at Farmer Brown’s farm discover a typewriter one day, they put it to good use and type a letter asking the farmer for electric blankets to keep them warm in the chilly barn. Farmer Brown isn’t impressed by their demands (or newfound typing skills). So he responds with a firm “no.”

If your kid enjoys the audiobook version, they’ll love the animated picture book also available on Epic.

From the creators of the hilarious hit “Secret Pizza Party,” comes #1 New York Times bestselling “Dragons Love Tacos,” a cautionary tale about what can go wrong when you don’t listen to good advice. 

When a young boy ignores a warning against feeding dragons spicy food and serves hot salsa at his party, serious mayhem ensues. After the boy realizes his mistake (and his house is destroyed), he must work together with the dragons to rebuild. The boy shows kindness, empathy and humility when calling on his dragon friends to help him.

This Caldecott Medal Honor book tops our list of funny picture books! This hilarious story is about a young chicken who continually interrupts her father as he’s trying to read a book at bedtime. 

The impatient interrupting chicken jumps (uninvited) into the stories of Chicken Little, Little Red Riding Hood and other fairy tales that her father is trying to read to her. 

In this audiobook version of the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book, a bear discovers his hat is gone, and he wants it back. So he politely asks each animal he meets whether they’ve seen it. After finding no luck, a deer asks the bear a question that jogs his memory—and he starts searching again with a vengeance!

This cumulative tale unfolds with irreverence and visual humor, ending with a mischievous twist that will delight your kid. 

In this bestselling, hilarious twist on the age-old first-pet story, Lucy the bear finds a little boy in the woods and decides to take him home and keep him. Despite her mother’s warning that “children make terrible pets,” Lucy keeps him anyway, naming him “Squeaker.” 

Your young reader will love joining Lucy and Squeaker on their day of fun as they figure out for themselves, do children really make terrible pets?

In the audiobook version of the first book in this #1 New York Times bestselling series, hysterical grossness ensues when 4th-grade best friends George Beard and Harold Hutchins invent the wedgie-powered superhero Captain Underpants. 

The only thing that class clowns George and Harold love more than jokes and pranks is making epic superhero comics. And that’s when they invent the greatest one in the history of their elementary school: Captain Underpants.

If you’re looking for funny books for kids who are a bit older, check out this first book in the New York Times bestselling series by Mac Barnett and Jory John about a pair of prank-loving rivals.  

Known as the best prankster in his class (the BEST the school has ever seen), Miles Murphy figures he’ll claim the mantle easily at his new school. When he moves to boring old Yawnee Valley, he discovers there’s just one problem: the school already has a prankster—and he’s the best of the best.

In this first book in the seriously funny “My Weird School” series, 2nd-grade teacher Miss Daisy’s students are in for a bit of shock—no one more so than A.J. When he casually admits he hates school, Miss Daisy replies, “I hate school, too!” In fact, not only is she not able to add or subtract, she can’t read or write, either! When Principal Klutz promises to turn the school into an arcade for a whole night if the class reads one million pages! Can A.J. and friends help Miss Daisy to help them reach their goal? 

Getting ready for sleep is tons of fun in this Sandra Boynton classic. Perfect for winding down for bedtime, this book lets little ones and preschoolers follow along as a joyful, silly group of animals scrub scrub scrub in the tub, brush and brush and brush their teeth, and finally rock and rock and rock to sleep.

Best friends Gerald and Piggie are very different: Gerald is careful, but Piggie is not. Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.

In this edition of Mo Willems’s interactive Elephant & Piggie adventures, Gerald and Piggie discover the joy of being read—not read to, mind you—but being read, by your young reader. With the clever premise and simple language ideally suited to beginning readers, this book is perfect for enjoying a read-aloud together.

Another great #1 New York Times bestseller, this uniquely funny read-aloud book by B.J. Novak turns the notion of a picture book completely on its head. A picture-free book for kids is boring, right? Not when whoever is reading must read everything on the page out loud, no matter how silly it is.

It could be eating ants for breakfast, or just a bunch of goofy sounds that crack little ones up, like “blaggity blaggity.” This book is so clever and amusing, your kid won’t even miss the pictures (and neither will you).

Told in letters, drawings, newspaper articles, and television scripts, this zany not-too-spooky book is loaded with clever wordplay and fun illustrations.

11-year old Seymour gets some bad news from Ghastly, Illinois. The International Movement for the Safety & Protection Of Our Kids & Youth (IMSPOOKY) informs him that he can’t live in the mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road anymore without a parent! 

Friend, cohabitant and famous author Ignatius B. Grumply tells head of IMSPOOKY Dick Tater that he and Seymour are in a perfectly happy arrangement with the resident ghost Olive C. Spence.