A Gaggle of Giggles: Funny Picture Books
Terry Miller Shannon
Lately I feel like I need a laugh in the best way!
Share a chuckle with your little ones with these
rollicking picture books:
Mrs. Biddlebox
By Linda Smith, illustrated by Marla Frazee
Have you ever had one of those days? You wake up
grumpy, the sky is dark, those twittering birds are
driving you crazy . . .and it all goes downhill from
there. Well, now you can take a cue from the
endearingly witchy-looking Mrs. B, who bakes her
rotten morning into a lovely cake. Her day, from funk
to bunk, is spun in jaunty verse. I loved this story
from the start; to my delight, so do my grandchildren.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very
Bad Day
By Judith Viorst, Illustrated by Ray Cruz
Speaking of bad days, consider Alexander's. His litany
of troubles start when he wakes up with gum in his
hair, trips on his skateboard, and continues right up
to bedtime when the cat won't sleep with him. When I
read this book to my young sons long ago, they laughed
and related to Alexander's wry woeful voice. Today,
their children love it just as much as their dads did.
Officer Buckle and Gloria
By Peggy Rathman
Officer Buckle gives such boring safety presentations
at schools that the kids doze--until he teams up with
Gloria, the police dog. Gloria's hilarious pantomimes,
unknown to her human partner, save the day. But when
Officer Buckle realizes that she's stealing the show,
their friendship is imperiled (but not for long, of
course). Rathman's vibrant illustrations won the
prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1996.
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
By Jon Scieszka and "A. Wolf", illustrated by Lane
Smith
Alexander T. Wolf tells his side of the story, writing
from the pig penitentiary he landed in after the
infamous porcine trio incident. That wolf is just so
misunderstood! After all, he had a bad head cold, and
that's what all that huffing and puffing was about. In
actual fact, Mr. Wolf informs us, he was trying to
borrow sugar to make his grandma a cake. But the pigs
built such flimsy houses that it appeared he blew them
down. Quirky illustrations set the perfect tone for
this outlandish spoof.
About the Author
Terry Miller Shannon
and her son, Tim Warner, wrote a funny, rhyming picture book. Tim's
three-year-old bath-loving son inspired TUB TOYS
(Tricycle Press, 2002), which MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW says
is "..greatly recommended..whimsical and fun." Check
it out HERE!
