Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Atlanta, GA

I am really enjoying the Savvy National Theme this month of "Because a Great Book...."  It lets me talk about books... one of my favorite subjects. 

I can remember growing up we had to have a rule, "No reading at the dinner table."  Not "No TV" or "No Toys" (although they weren't allowed either), but "No books."  My parents are big readers and always have their nose in a book or two, and as I mentioned yesterday, my mom mom used to read to us before bed long after most families stop the "bed time reading ritual."

It makes me so happy to see how much my kids love books and love reading or being read too.  To me, it's more than just a bonding time with my child, it's helping them develop language, foster learning and hopefully keep them reading for fun their whole life.  Reading helps you understand sentence structure, aids in spelling, and keeps your mind active.  And the earlier you develop a love for reading, the more likely you are to continue reading as you get older.

So, how do you keep the "love" of books alive?  My kids are all about Funny!  The funnier and sillier the book is the better. If you're looking for some funnybooks, here's a list sure to keep you and your child in stitches.


The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone and Michael Smollin.  Sesame Streets lovable furry monster, Grover tries to keep you, the reader, from getting to the end of the book because there is a Monster at the End of the Book.  The kids love it.  Grover tries to nail pages together, tie the book shut and even builds a wall to stop the page turning.  Only to discover the "Monster" at the end of the book was Grover himself. This really is one of our all time favorite books.  Not only is it funny, but it's a great interactive book as well.  Another books that are similar: "Do Not Open this Book" by Michaela Muntean and Pascal Lemaitre and "Don't Make Me Laugh" by James Stevenson

Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook by Shel Silverstein.  One of our all time favorite authors, this is a fantastic book.  The book is written in "Spoonerisms" and totally hysterical.  One of our favorite things to do, since getting the book is to speak "Runny Babbit" -- often I'll ask the kids if they want "Nicken Chuggets" or "Oached Peggs" and sometimes we'll go "lake the reaves." When we read this book, we can only read 2-3 pages at a time because the boys are laughing over the words... admittedly "sea poup" and "stabbit rew" are quite funny!

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay up Late (and any of the "pigeon books") by Mo Williams.  This could have gone on yesterday's "Best Bedtime" books, but the pigeon books are just too cute and funny, I had to include it here.  And all the Pigeon books are great.  My kids love this adorable little hot-dog eating bird and his bunny.  Very funny!

Dumb Bunnies by Dav Pilkey.  How could I not mention books by Dav Pilkey?  My oldest son loves anything written by Dav Pilkey because they are not just silly... they are hysterical. The Dumb Bunnies books are, well, odd and silly in a way kids and adults will enjoy.  You have to look at the pictures and read the text to get the whole silliness of the books.  The Bunnies do things like watch TV in their Pajamas... who knew the TV would fit in them?  And put the Christmas tree up upside down...

Parts, More Parts, and Even More Parts by Tedd Arnold.  I love these books because they introduce kids to the wonderful world of idioms and how wacky just some are.  In the first book, the boy thinks he's falling apart when his tooth falls out, and the next two books explore idioms even further and how strange they must sound to a child -- keeping your eyes peeled, breaking your heart, giving someone a hand... Your kids are sure to be entertained!

Food Fight by Carol Diggory Shields and Doreen Gay-Kassel.  More word play fun but this time the food is having fun in the fridge. When the salad greens say "Lettuce have a party" a food fight ensues.  Very cute and funny food related joking.  You will be reading this over and over again!

So those are our family's picks for some of the funniest books on our shelves (or from the local library).  Since we're always looking for more books to share, I would love to know...

What are your favorite silly books?