2018 Mid Year Round Up: LOL Books

What’s the latest and greatest and not so good in 2018 laugh out loud picture books so far (in my humble opinion)? Read on to find out!

Did I miss a great book? Have you tried one of these titles yet? Was it a smashing success or a flop? Please share!

⭐️= favorite

👎= nope

⭐️The Big Bed by Bunmi Laditan

Who should get to sleep in the big bed with Mommy? A little girl does her best to convince Daddy that his proper place is on a canvas cot!

My hands-down favorite picture book this year! Laditan nails that dual address to kids and parents in this hilarious bedtime book. I love, love, love everything about this book. The everyday diversity, the vocabulary, the quirky humor, the eye-catching illustrations. I would recommend this for kids in kindergarten (towards the end of the year) and up. I can definitely see using this in a school-age storytime or to teach a persuasive writing unit. Really, any description I can come up with fails to do this book justice. Read it now!

⭐️The Hugely-Wugely Spider by Ethan T. Berlin

A fun twist on the classic nursery rhyme! Maybe this gigantic spider can’t fit up the spout (which he didn’t want to do anyway), but his size sure will come in handy when down comes the rain. A lot of great things are happening with the vocabulary, typography, and illustrations in this story! I think four year olds and up would really get the most out of the humor. I could definitely see myself using this in storytime or in the classroom to teach about punctuation and print awareness.

⭐️Truck Full of Ducks by Ross Burach

Ducks, trucks, tacky puns, repetition, a surprise ending in the deep and dark woods… what’s not to love about this silly story? This one had the grown-ups and kiddos alike giggling during family storytime! There’s so many small details that would make this even more fun reading one-on-one.

⭐️Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman

Ame Dyckman never disappoints! Bob the Jellyfish is seeking to set the record straight about sharks on his live television show, Underwater World with Bob. At first, it looks like sharks aren’t as bad as they’re made out to be… or are they?! Full of fascinating shark facts, repetition, and a fun twist ending, this book is sure to delight preschoolers and kindergartners during storytime.

⭐️Dude! by Aaron Reynolds & Dan Santat

I was so excited to see Aaron Reynolds and Dan Santat team up! This story follows two friends ready for day of fun in the sun on the waves. There’s just one problem… there’s a shark! This nearly wordless picture book reminds me of Moo! by David LaRochelle. Great for print awareness and giggles! Big hit during a recent family storytime.

⭐️A Couch for Llama by Leah Gilbert

If you know me, you know that llamas are my FAVORITE animals in the whole wide world. Therefore I freaked out when I saw this book, and then I freaked out even more when I learned it was written by a local author! I just love everything Gilbert has done here, especially with the vocabulary. The book also features a multiracial family.

⭐️Don’t Forget Dexter by Lindsay Ward

Do you remember the anguish of losing a well-loved toy? Well, how do you think your toy felt? Poor Dexter the Dinosaur’s been left behind at the doctor’s office. Determined to find his friend Jack, he formulates a supergenius escape plan… and ends up in the fish tank! I love so many things about this story. It’s a delightful dinosaur read for storytime or one-on-one!

⭐️My Friends Make Me Happy and My Toothbrush is Missing by Jan Thomas

Hooray for more early readers in Jan Thomas’s funny new series! It can be so hard to find engaging texts for our beginning readers, right when they need them the most. My kindergarten niece LOVES these and begs to read them over and over again. Perfect for fans of Pigeon and Elephant and Piggie!

I am the Boss of this Chair by Carolyn Crimi

What’s a cat to do when there’s a new pet in town? Oswald Minklehoff Honey Bunny III is about to find out! A cute and funny story about learning to share for preschool and early primary grades. Love the rich vocabulary!

Can Somebody Please Scratch My Back? by Jory John

Elephant’s got an itch, and his fellow animals in the jungle aren’t very helpful! Turtle can’t reach, sloth is too slow, and there’s just something not quite trustworthy about crocodile’s smile… The sly humor in this story is sure to appeal to adults in the audience!

Hello, Hot Dog! by Lily Murray

A happy go lucky hot dog discovers an ugly truth when the condiments come out! It can’t run… it can’t hide… it can’t do a triple backflip… what CAN it do? Just when it seems like Hot Dog might roll away and save the day, a salivating dog appears. Yikes! Love the dialogue between the omniscient narrator (a helpful bee) and Hot Dog. The illustrations are great- I never knew a hot dog could have so many expressions! The many twists and turns are sure to surprise and delight readers as well.

People Don’t Bite People by Lisa Wheeler

What a fun and silly way to address a common childhood issue- biting! The refrain is super catchy.

Sheep 101 by Richard T. Morris

A boy’s plan to count sheep and fall asleep goes awry when Sheep 101 gets stuck on the fence! But the show must go on, so a cast of nursery rhyme characters masquerading as sheep try and come to the rescue. I love the illustrations, especially the characters’ expressions, and the overall oddball humor in this silly story! Would make a fun preschool storytime read or a math workshop book in kindergarten on the 101st day of school.

Sleepy Bird by Jeremy Tankard

Bird returns to the page for a bedtime adventure! All his friends are settling down to sleep, but Bird just isn’t tired. Tankard is one of those authors that just nails the daul address to adults and kids. Bird’s overly dramatic declarations and his friends’ endless patience strikes the perfect balance, making this a both sassy and sweet bedtime story.

⭐️Neck & Neck by Elise Parsley

Everybody loves giraffes best… don’t they?! When Leopold spies an airy imposter at the zoo, he’s determined to prove he’s better than any balloon could ever be. Just how far will he go? I love the edgy humor, vocabulary (sulked, pondered, scrawny, to name a few) and what they’ve done with the typography. Great for print awareness, talking about feelings, and fantastically funny!