Here Be Dragons (Susannah Lloyd)

 

I think I will love reading this book aloud to my class. It kind of reminds me of Sam and Dave Dig a HoleSam and Dave Dig a Hole. Foolishness which doesn't fool the kids is always a hit. 

Goodreads says:

Children will love this funny, witty and hugely enjoyable book about a very silly knight who goes in search of a dragon!

This book is about a knight on a mission: to find and slay a dragon. The other knights have told him that there's no such thing as dragons, but he doesn't care. For he has a map, and the map says: 

"HERE BE DRAGONS."

He travels right to the spot marked ‘X’, past treasure, suspicious bones and many signs telling him to turn back. He wanders up and down a huge, spiky hill (the dragon's back) shouts into a burrow (the dragon's nose) and eventually walks into a cave (the dragon's mouth)… Will the hapless knight see the dragon before it's too late?! 

Young readers will love spotting the dragon in the background in this laugh-out-loud story from the author of This Book Can Read Your Mind. 

Beautiful and comedic illustrations with hidden clues hinting at the dragon's whereabouts accompany funny and lively text which young readers and their parents alike will love to read aloud!

Jonathan Cleaned Up - Then He Heard a Sound (Robert Munsch)

 

This is a typical silly Robert Munsch story. The title though. Come on Robert Munsch! It sounds like one my students would make up and then my response would be, "Well, let's shorten it up a bit." 

Then again, who am I to criticize Robert Munsch?!

These days, during the pandemic and election woes, the story touched a nerve with complaining to the mayor and then finding out that he doesn't know a thing, the computer isn't working and there's one long person running the whole show behind the scenes. In the end, when the train stop moves to the mayor's office, that seemed like just deserts. 

I didn't really have much of a curriculum connection to this one. It was just fun, which seemed right on our first day back to learning after winter break....only this week are doing it online! Thank you pandemic.

Goodreads says:

A subway stops in Jonathan’s apartment, and out pour thousands of commuters and their litter.

The Boy Who Cried Ninja (Alex Latimer)

This is one of those books where kids get together and roll their eyes at the adults in their lives. Adults just don't get it!

This is a twist on the boy who cried wolf. Time has a great fantasy life. Well, everyone assumes it is fantasy. One of my students was able to summarize the story before we read this one. I should have asked at the end if they really were similar stories. It could be a good compare and contrast exercise. Definitely a great discussion starter for imagination.

This book would be a great way to start into a discussion about telling the truth.

Goodreads says:

In this quirky twist on The Boy Who Cried Wolf, a boys excuses turn out to have an unexpected element of truth.

Two Dogs in a Trench Coat Start a Club by Accident (Julie Falatko)

One of my students gave me this book to read. He said, "This is really good. You have to read it."

I can see why he thought it was really good. It's silly and fun. Ever wondered what your dog is thinking? This book will give you insight into that! These dogs love their owners, meat, cheese and running in circles. Seems legit!

Goodreads says:

Sassy and Waldo love school! Everything smells like meat and dirty socks! And they love being able to help Stewart.

When Stewart has to stay late after school for a Junior Office Supply Enthusiasts meeting, Sassy and Waldo are left alone to raid the cafeteria's refrigerator. As Sassy and Waldo's after school antics escalate, hilarity ensues as the two dogs start a club...by accident. 

Dogman: Lord of the Fleas (Dav Pilkey)

This is a seriously fun book. I read it in one night before I went to bed. It's one of those books that seems silly, but if you get rid of any snobbishness and just enjoy it, soon you'll be chuckling too.  It was my first Dog Man book, so I was a little uneducated on the characters. It made me think I should go back and read the books that came before.

There are a lot of knock knock jokes - which seem simple and perhaps an extra - but soon you start to realize they're part of the plot. Great story about a guy with bad character who actually does want to change.

And this is my favorite part:

Goodreads says:

When a new bunch of baddies bust up the town, Dog Man is called into action -- and this time he isn't alone. With a cute kitten and a remarkable robot by his side, our heroes must save the day by joining forces with an unlikely ally: Petey, the World's Most Evil Cat. But can the villainous Petey avoid vengeance and venture into virtue?

The Numberlys (William Joyce and Christina Ellis)

I love books that you have to turn to get the right view. This one is a VERY tall book and is about an imaginary place where there are only numbers. There are a number of wordless pages too, which always makes for an interesting read aloud discussion.

Everything is perfect and orderly. They invent letters and then words and what a world it is!

Goodreads says:


From the team who brought you The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore comes an alphabet tale extraordinaire!

Once upon a time there was no alphabet, only numbers

Life was fine. Orderly. Dull as gray paint. Very numberly. But our five jaunty heroes weren't willing to accept that this was all there could be. They knew there had to be more.

So they broke out hard hats and welders, hammers and glue guns, and they started knocking some numbers together. Removing a piece here. Adding a piece there. At first, it was awful. But the five kept at it, and soon it was artful! One letter after another emerged, until there were twenty-six. Twenty-six letters - and they were beautiful. All colorful, shiny, and new. Exactly what our heroes didn't even know they were missing.

And when the letters entered the world, something truly wondrous began to happen: Pizza! Jelly beans! Color! Books!

Based on the award-winning app, this is William Joyce and Moonbot's Metropolis-inspired homage to everyone who knows there is more to life than shades of black and gray.

Is that Wise, Pig? (Jan Thomas)

This is kind of like what I say to my own kids: Is that a good idea??

Cute story about a silly pig. Best for K or PreK, I'd say.


Goodreads says:
Cow and Pig are helping Mouse make a delicious soup, but Pig keeps trying to add ingredients that don’t make sense!

Mouse is making a yummy pot of soup and Cow and Pig are helping add ingredients. Mouse adds four tomatoes, Cow adds five potatoes, and Pig adds…six galoshes?! Is that wise, Pig? Young readers will be so busy giggling at Pig’s antics, they won’t even realize they are counting, too. A twist ending and irresistible characters will make this a favorite read-aloud.

Three Little Monkeys (Quentin Blake)

What??!! Quentin Blake writes books too?!

I can imagine that children would love these pet monkeys. First of all, who wouldn't want a monkey for a pet? And second of all, of course they're going to get into a lot of trouble. Silly monkeys.

Goodreads says:

A remarkable collaboration – that brings together giants of the picture book world – to create a funny, anarchic and utterly delightful picture book. A classic of the future.
Hilda Snibbs had three little monkeys. Their names were Tim and Sam and Lulu. They were very lively

The Best School Year Ever - The Herdman's #2 (Barbara Robinson)

I came across this book by chance. I read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and loved it. I have always wanted to do it for grade 3 book club, but I figured the slang on the real Christmas story might not fly very well with everyone in school. This one has the same hilarity and would totally work for grade 3 book club! It even has a bit of character attached to the story with the teacher's year long assignment to make a list of positive traits about everyone in the class.

This book reminded me of sitting around listening to my aunt and uncle and their kids talk about funny stories in their insurance adjusting business.....matter of fact stories with hilarity attached.

Goodreads says:

The Worst Kids in the History of the World!

When anything goes wrong at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, from the hexing of Bus Six to the mysterious disappearance of the kindergarten gerbil, it's sure to have a Herdman behind it. The Herdmans are more than famous -- they're outlaws. They smoke cigars, lie, and set fire to things, and that's only when they bother to come to school!

Then a school project forces the students to think of compliments for all their classmates -- including the Herdmans. Is it possible that behind their outrageous pranks there may be something good about this crazy clan after all?

The Giraffe, The Pelly and Me (Roald Dahl)

Peirce used to read this book again and again when he was young. It's a gooder, for sure. Definitely one of my more favorite Roald Dahl books.

Goodreads says:

A small boy with a desire to own a candy shop meets a window-washing team of a giraffe, a pelican, and a monkey and together they go to work for the wealthy Duke of Hampshire, who makes all their dreams come true.

The Pigeon Needs a Bath (Mo Willems)

The pigeon saga continues. Kids love these books!

I have to read this to my class and see if we can start using "purely coincidental" and "that is a matter of opinion" to our repertoire.  


This is from Storytime with Ryan and Craig



Goodreads says:

The Pigeon really needs a bath! Except, the Pigeon's not so sure about that. Besides, he took a bath last month! Maybe. It's going to take some serious convincing to try and get the Pigeon to take the plunge.

Coyote's New Suit (Thomas King)

This story is long, but really fun. Kids with the ability to listen to a long story will love it. There's lots of silliness (animals taking off their "suits") and trickery on the part of Raven. Coyote, who is often in the family of sly foxes, isn't sly. He's not that bright. He is greedy and starts taking off with all the animals suits.


Goodreads summary:

Coyote’s mighty pleased with his soft, brown suit — until Raven slyly hints it’s not the finest in the forest. Now, Coyote is obsessed: Bear’s suit is much more impressive. Porcupine — sporty! Raccoon is chic, while Skunk’s suit is perfectly elegant. Perhaps he could just borrow the suits? The missing suits send the forest into an uproar. How can naughty Coyote make amends? 

This Is Not My Hat (Jon Klassen)

This is the perfect book for these guys. It's hilarious. I seriously love Jon Klassen. As Donalyn Miller says: #teamfish!

Goodreads says:

When a tiny fish shoots into view wearing a round blue topper (which happens to fit him perfectly), trouble could be following close behind. So it's a good thing that enormous fish won't wake up. And even if he does, it's not like he'll ever know what happened...
Visual humor swims to the fore as the best-selling Jon Klassenfollows his breakout debut with another deadpan-funny tale.

I Want My Hat Back (Jon Klassen)

This reminds me of a problem in our house. Our dad is always losing his back scratcher. Have you seen my back scratcher??

This is a great one to be read by a dad, for sure! It has to be read aloud and enjoyed together.

Then you have to read the next one: This Is Not My Hat

Goodreads says:

A picture-book delight by a rising talent tells a cumulative tale with a mischievous twist.

The bear’s hat is gone, and he wants it back. Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have seen it. Each animal says no, some more elaborately than others. But just as the bear begins to despond, a deer comes by and asks a simple question that sparks the bear’s memory and renews his search with a vengeance. Told completely in dialogue, this delicious take on the classic repetitive tale plays out in sly illustrations laced with visual humor-- and winks at the reader with a wry irreverence that will have kids of all ages thrilled to be in on the joke. 

Yours Sincerely, Giraffe (Megumi Iwasa)

As I read this book I kept thinking, there must be something deeper and more meaningful than I'm getting. I'm not entirely sure there really is. It's a cute and fun little story that makes you think about things a little differently. How would you describe someone if you had never seen that type of person, err, animal.

This would be a good beginning of the year read aloud. Lots of pictures and simple text and a few chuckles along the way. Would also be a good introduction to the letter writing we do for special students every week.

Goodreads summary:

Giraffe is bored, as usual. He'd love a friend to share things with. So he writes a letter and sends it as far as possible across the other side of the horizon. There he finds a pen palPenguin.

Punished! (David Lubar)

This book took me about 25 minutes to read. It would be a great book for middle elementary kids who aren't super strong readers yet. The puns are entertaining. It teaches some great parts of language that would make for a great classroom discussion. It would be fun to build a wall full of puns,  oxymorons, anagrams and palindromes. We have talked about using this book for our Battle of the Books. Perhaps there could be an additional contest where teams could earn points by taking on the challenge that Logan finds himself absorbed in. I think this would also make a great read aloud. 

October 2021: Read aloud to my class. Sometimes it was hard for them to get the puns and plays on language because they couldn't see the words. Would be good as a novel study with everyone having a book. We enjoyed it, nonetheless.

Goodreads summary: 

Logan and his friend Benedict run into the wrong guy at the library--literally. When Logan slams into the reference guy in the basement and gives him a little lip, Logan gets punished, really and truly punished. He has three days to complete three tasks before Professor Wordsworth will lift the magical punishment that keeps getting Logan in even more trouble.

Wellington's Rainy Day (Carolyn Beck)

The kids in my class must have really well behaved dogs. No one knew of the crazy things dogs do like roll in poo, eat the garbage, barf, then lick up their barf!

This story has Wellington and his friend, Honey, the cat. Wellington just does things. He can't help it. He feels guilty though! In the end though, the cat ends up getting blamed. We loved it!

All through the store Sn-oooo-re is interspersed here and there. We had trouble figuring out why at first. Then we realized the owner must be sleeping while Wellington is getting into trouble. We had a good chuckle over his antics.

...and once again, Carolyn Beck makes me laugh! Who thinks to write books like this?!

I love it.

Goodreads summary:

It's a rainy day. Wellington is down in the dumps and can't resist the smell of his master's freshly made meatloaf. While his master snoozes, Welly devours every last bite. After he hides the empty pan, he eats the contents of the garbage can too. Honey, a sneaky kitty and Wellington's archenemy, threatens to tell on him. Welly's tummy begins to churn and out comes everything he has gobbled down. What a mess! But in this lively, rhyming picturebook, things have a way of turning out better than expected for Welly, and just this once he escapes being blamed for the missing meatloaf. 

Richard Was a Picker (Carolyn Beck)

I would like to meet this Carolyn Beck! I read her book, A Waiting Dog. It is crazy! So is this one.

I thought my class would love it. They seem to be well indoctrinated  about what is and isn't appropriate at school. They thought this one was a little too crazy for their taste.

Darn kids.

Goodreads summary:

Richard picks his nose, until one day he discovers the perils of his habit. When his finger gets stuck up his nose, Richard panics. Then his nose sucks up his arm. Before he knows it, all of him slides up his nose. Richard has become a giant booger. He propels his booger-ball self out of his house. But as he rolls down the sidewalk things get worse, way worse. Soon the whole town is chasing after him and jabbing at him. Will Richard be poked to pieces? With some quick thinking and a little luck, Richard avoids a terrible end. 

Mercy Watson Fights Crime (Kate DiCamillo)

Re-read February 10, 2016

My class hasn't read Leroy Ninker yet this year - but I plan to get it from the public library ASAP!

They were totally taken by the story. They are starting to see the common threads in these stories: the toast, the firefighters, the cranky old ladies next door, etc. Love Mercy Watson!!

Originally read: January 13, 2015

We laughed and laughed at this book in our class. We had already read Leroy Ninker, so to find out he had been involved with Mercy Watson was a real delight.


Goodreads Summary:

Leroy Ninker is a small man with a big dream: he wants to be a cowboy, but for now he's just a thief. In fact, Leroy is robbing the Watsons' kitchen right this minute! As he drags the toaster across the counter — screeeeeech — and drops it into his bag — clannngggg — little does he know that a certain large pig who loves toast with a great deal of butter is stirring from sleep. Even less could he guess that comedy of errors (not to mention the buttery sweets in his pocket) will soon lead this little man on the wild and raucous rodeo ride he's always dreamed of! Nosy neighbors, astonished firemen, a puzzled policeman, and the ever-doting Watsons return for a new tongue-in-snout adventure about Kate DiCamillo's delightfully single-minded pig.

Mercy Watson To The Rescue (Kate DiCamillo)

Re read Feb 9, 2016: This is a perfect book for kids not quite ready for bigger chapter books. My students were totally taken by the story. They laughed at the right spots and they listened intensely. Seemed just right for many. I plan to get them all out of the library for them!

Originally read: December 9, 2014:

I love how Kate DiCamillo is able to romanticize the simplest of things. In this book it is toast with lots of butter. She dedicates the book to someone who loves toast with lots of butter. In the 'about the author' she says she had the idea for the story in her head but didn't know how to tell its until she was listening to a friend one day go on about the virtues of toast. 

Mercy Watson is a pig that lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson. They treat him just like he was their child. In this story there is an emergency and Mercy saves them with the help of a cantankerous neighbor. I loved the pictures of Mercy chasing around with Eugenia Lincoln from next door. It reminds me of how our dog likes to let you chase him.

Tags:

Animals - of course, because there is a pig

Communication - Mercy is able to get Eugenia and Babe to call the fire department without actually talking

Early Chapter Books - Less than 100 pages and easy to read

Humor - How can you not smile when you look at Mercy's enthusiastic face?!

love - Mr and Mrs Watson love Mercy and Mercy reciprocates that love by saving them

Silly Stories - a pet pic is a little silly. I would have to agree with Eugenia