Laughter

I have a pretty goofy sense of humor. I find silly things very funny. That is a warning, so when I recommend the following series, please know that they are quite ridiculous. But reading them aloud with my children is about my favorite thing in the world.

These books are not heavy on plot. They are heavy on humor. But the humor is such, you can stop reading at any point and pick the books up one week later and laugh some more without really remembering what is going on.

Hmm. Not sure I'm doing a very convincing job. But I can promise you that last night, I was snuggling with my eight-year-old son, and we were reading the second Spaceheadz, by Jon Scieszka, and laughing hysterically at the picture of a polar bear in a snow storm.

It looked like this:

(maybe you had to be there). But there was a great deal of laughing going on.

Scieszka's entire mission in life is to get boys to read.

For both girls and boys, and kids who like a bit of irony, please try Avi's very quick reads:

The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail (and an Even Smaller Ant)

and it's sequel:

A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End: The Right Way to Write Writing

These books are for children of all ages, though fourth and fifth graders will really get the humor. The main characters are a snail and an ant.

And, I know I've brought these up before, but if you only have ten minutes to read aloud, and you're in a hurry, and you just want to laugh, grab any in this series:

Hank the Cowdog by John Erickson. There are some fifty books now, and every one of them can make me—and the kids—laugh.

And I'm still waiting for some kid videos from you moms out there. Robyn? Emily? Brooke? All my other terrific friends with kids? Send them on!