Reader beware, apparently I like books with bite! Didn’t realize until compiling this list that apparently, I’m quite partial towards funny books where things get eaten.
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
⭐️Poe Won’t Go by Kelly DiPucchio
What does it take to get an elephant out of the road? Nothing budges Poe, not peanuts or pastors or plows… until one little girl thinks to try what no one else imagined: asking him. Love the everyday diversity and sly humor for both adults and kids!
Horse Meets Dog by Elliott Kalan & Tim Miller
A fabulously funny tale of mistaken identity and friendship! Dog thinks he’s never met such a big, strange fellow canine. Horse thinks he’s never met such a strange, tiny colt. Can they put their differences aside and find a way to make their friendship work? What will happen when their identities come to light? Perfect silly story for an early reader storytime!
⭐️The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee
Agee is such a delightful author. No two books are ever the same! Love the clever use of the gutter in this funny fable about a knight so worried about the other side of the book, he doesn’t notice what’s right behind him… what an important message for us all, delivered in gently humorous style.
Good Night, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony
Mr. Panda helps his friends get ready for bed by pointing out all the things they’ve forgotten to do. Is it possible he’s forgotten an important step himself? Luckily, Lemur’s there to remind him! As always, Mr. Panda’s facial expressions are priceless.
⭐️Knock, Knock! by Tammi Sauer
Speaking of getting a good night’s sleep… All Bear wants to do is settle in and sleep through winter, but his friends keep knocking at the door! Love the wordy nerdy puns all leading up to Bear’s surprise “Happy Hibernation!” party!
There’s a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor by Wade Bradford
Mr. Snore just wants to sleep, but a quiet night is hard to find at the Sharemore Hotel! After finding a mouse in his bed on the first floor and a pig on the second, Mr. Snore decides to take matters into his own hands. He discovers the perfect place on the thirteenth floor… but then the bellhop gets a call from a disgruntled dinosaur!
I Don’t Want to Go to Sleep by Dav Petty
Frog can’t wait for winter fun, but everything is ruined when Owl explains that frogs hibernate in winter. Sink to the bottom of the pond and sleep until spring? No thanks! Funny storytime read for a hibernation/animals in winter theme.
I Am a Unicorn! by Michaela Schuett
Frog has all the makings of a Unicorn: a party hat horn, a clip-on tail, and even rainbow toots! What will it take to make Goat embrace the power of imagination and have a little fun? I just love the facial expressions in this one and can’t wait to read it during a feelings or imagination-themed storytime! Just look at that lovely bold text- wouldn’t it go great with a lit tip about print awareness?
Pig the Fibber by Aaron Blabey
From stinky toots to telling lies, Pig the Pug will stop at nothing to get away with making trouble. Will he ever learn his lesson? Just look at those fantastic funny facial expressions!
⭐️Giraffe Problems by Jory John & Lane Smith
Does it get better than these two together? Jory John & Lane Smith have teamed up to give us another look at unique problems in the animal kingdom. Edward can’t stand his too tall, lofty, stretchy, bendy, dopey neck. “It’s a neck only a mother could love,” he laments. But one day he meets a turtle named Cyrus, and learns to look at his neck in a new way.
Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex
Werewolves, witches, ghosts and monsters can’t faze Darth Vader. There’s nothing this seriously evil overlord fears… or is there? This is a must-have for your summer reading school visits! Make sure you have water on hand and practice your Darth Vader voice. Fantastically funny with multiple layers of humor for both kids and adults!
⭐️The Mouse Who Wasn’t Scared by Petr Horacek
Little Mouse isn’t scared of the big bad woods- not the big scary bears, not the lean mean wolves. Love the twist ending with the cat in the cabin! The repetition makes this a great read aloud for preschoolers or toddlers. I can’t wait to use this with my new Mouse House flannel!
Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise
Little Chicken loves learning about new things at school… like the elephant of surprise! Great one to use in the classroom for writing workshop or for school storytime visits!
⭐️How to Eat Pizza by Jon Burgerman
Time for some books with bite! Burgerman brings us another laugh out loud, silly story bursting with bright/colorful illustrations. A pizza slice begs for his life and tries to bargain with delicious alternatives. Definitely bring this one along to summer reading school visits! I would practice the different voices beforehand or bring a buddy to help read.
Did You Eat the Parakeet? by Mark Iacolina
When her parakeet goes missing, a little girl assumes the worst of her cat. Where else could her little bird have gone, if not inside of kitty’s tummy? A silly story sure to get the giggles going… and a great underlying message about not making assumptions! Love the vocabulary in this one.
⭐️The Greedy Goat by Petr Horacek
Goat gets tired of eating grass and embarks on a new culinary quest, sampling a variety of farmyard delicacies (such as pig’s potato peelings and the farmer’s underpants). A funny cautionary tale sure to delight toddlers and preschoolers!
I Just Ate My Friend by Heidi McKinnon
Friends can be hard to find, especially if you eat them! Love the illustrations and sly humor in this one. Fun read-aloud for a monster or friendship storytime.
⭐️Stegothesaurus by Bridget Heos
Stegothesaurus has always felt a little different from the other dinosaurs… until the day he meets Allethesaurus! Their new friendship is full of big adventures and even bigger words. They seem like the perfect pair, at least until Stegothesaurus learns what his new friend likes for dinner. Another funny book with bite and great vocabulary! This was a BIG storytime hit this year with both adults and kiddos. Read three times for dinosaur, family and vocabulary focus storytimes.
⭐️We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
Penelope Rex is in for a surprise on the first day of school… she’s in a classroom full of (delicious) children! It’s not easy making friends when you treat your classmates like food. In a great twist with a goldfish, Penelope eventually learns what it’s like to be on the other end of someone’s sweet tooth. This story is absolutely HILARIOUS for adults and kids! Read it during a pre-kindergarten outreach storytime and everyone was cracking up.
THANK GOODNESS for all the laughs I’ve gotten from kidlit this year. Don’t know what I would do without the messages of hope, love and laughter from storytime books!
Can’t get enough kidlit? Here’s my take on 2018’s…
Concept Picture Books: Part One and Part Two
Storytime in the Stacks 
3 thoughts on “2018 Year in Review: LOL Books”