Thursday, December 29, 2022

RA RA READ: Raucous Read-Alouds

One of the bonuses of being a public librarian and not a teacher is that I can read the FUN books to kids with minimal repercussions. Below is a list of books that are both hilarious and naughty, and will break all the rules while laughing at you!

Stuff getting eaten
Kids love it when things are eaten, including other kids, helpless little animals, etc. Kids are creepy.
  • Poor little guy by Elanna Allen
  • A hungry lion or a dwindling assortment of animals by Lucy Ruth Cummins
  • I'd really like to eat a child by Sylviane Donnio (paperback in print)
    • Spoiler alert - the naughty little crocodile does not actually eat a child, but readers and listeners will have fun shivering in delight as he imagines how tasty one would be!
  • Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman
  • Stegothesaurus by Bridget Heos
  • I will chomp you by Jory John
  • My crocodile does not bite by Joe Kulka
  • Oh look, a cake by J. C. McKee
  • Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds
    • If you look closely, you will notice the carnivores on the cover are wrapped in shrink wrap, like you see on a package of meat. That's all one need say.
Unpredictable outcomes
When kids hit a certain point in their development where they have started learning to predict things, reading a book that completely throws off those expectations enjoins ceaseless laughter.
  • Count the monkeys by Mac Barnett
    • This starts out as a simple counting book, but quickly goes awry as the monkeys never show up! Fair warning, when you get to the end and ask for ideas on getting rid of the lumberjacks, kids will come up with the goriest of all possible solutions.
  • Guess again by Mac Barnett
    • Kids who have just learned to rhyme will laugh hysterically when they shout out the expected answer to the riddle... only to have their expectations completely thrown out!
  • This is a moose by Richard T. Morris
  • I am a tiger by Karl Newson
  • I am so strong and I am so handsome by Mario Ramos
    • These imports feature a Big Bad Wolf who's not quite as big and bad as he thinks!
  • On account of the gum by Adam Rex
  • What animals really like by Fiona Robinson
  • Cows go boo by Steve Webb
Subverting authority
This one speaks for itself. Who doesn't enjoy a good fantasy of tweaking the nose of the people who run your life?
  • The Magic Word by Mac Barnett
  • Don't push the button by Bill Cotter
    • This falls apart constantly, but it's still worth it for the sheer, chaotic fun of encouraging the kids to BREAK ALL THE RULES!
  • Little Chicken's Big Day by Jerry Davis
    • Nothing is more fun than teaching all the toddlers to waggle their finger and say "I hear you clucking Big Chicken!" whenever someone tells them what to do. Heh heh heh.
  • Warning: Do not open this book and Please open this book by Adam Lehrhaupt
    • Kids will get a thrill out of disobeying the instructions with only some mild consequences (unless you're a monkey. or a banana.)
  • Wild boars cook by Meg Rosoff
  • Not your nest by Gideon Sterer
Random hilarity
Originally published in 2019; Updated in 2022

2 comments:

Kris said...

Love love love this list... thank you! (I found the blue print difficult to read... could you darken, please? Thanks!)

Jennifer said...

I assume you mean the links? I tried changing the color - is the dark red easier?