You know it's important, you know it's good for them, and most days you love it. But admit it, there comes a day when every perfect parent is tired of reading bedtime stories. Whether it's because your kids pick out the same book every time or you're just over farm animals and life lessons, it's going to happen. But that's why you need to fill your kid's collection with some children's books that will make any mom laugh.
Reading to your kid should never feel like a chore, but when your reading choices get redundant or boring, that's exactly what happened. The classics are always lovely to read and you know how much your kid loves books adapted from their favorite Disney movies but seriously. Sometimes you just want to read your kid a book at night that makes both of you belly laugh so you aren't counting down the pages instead of paying attention. Parenting is hard work and when it's time to shut down for the night and have some alone time, you want to end it on a high note. These 13 children's books are guaranteed to make any mom laugh and need to be put in the bedtime rotation to spice up the evening a bit. Your kid doesn't have to get all of the jokes to still enjoy reading, so think of these books like the innuendos your kids never understand in their favorite Pixar movies. You're welcome.
1'Chicken Big' by Keith Graves
My daughter's favorite book is Chicken Big, and while any story can become repetitive, this one is worth reading for how much it makes me laugh. When a giant chick pops out of the egg, the other chickens in the coop try to guess what he is and the dialogue is pretty hilarious, especially if you try out some new voices.
2'All My Friends Are Dead' by Avery Monson
If you're already laughing at the cover and title of All My Friends Are Dead, then you're going to love this book. Everything is covered, from the tree that sees its friends becoming end tables to the abominable snowman that knows all of its friends are hoaxes. When you're done, you'll think "Damn, that book is kind of disturbing" which makes it even funnier.
3'I Want My Hat Back' by Jon Klassen
A patient bear is looking for his lost hat in I Want My Hat Back and while the premise seems simple, the dry and repetitive dialogue is enough to make you laugh out loud.
4'Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale' by Mo Willems
Knuffle Bunny is a sweet little story about a little girl losing her bunny at the laundromat, but not being able to express to her father what's gone wrong. For any parent who's been in that position of trying to guess what your kid wants, this book and the way it goes hilariously wrong is for you.
5'Telephone' by Mac Barnett
If you remember playing the telephone game as a kid, then you will love the book Telephone. As the birds pass along a "get home" message to a little bird named Peter, the line becomes something entirely different, leaving you to wonder if little Peter's ever going to get home.
6'Goodnight Already!' by Jory John
When your kids are wide awake and you're exhausted, it's hard to find the humor in your situation. But Goodnight Already! turns your pain into a funny picture book of a duck who wants to hang out with bear and a bear who is tired AF.
7'The True Story Of The 3 Little Pigs' by Jon Scieszka
One of my favorites as a kid, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs is absolutely hilarious and will have you rooting for the wolf of the story. Nothing like a backwards fairy tale to put some humor into bedtime.
8'The Day The Crayons Quit' by Drew Daywalt
Personifying colors is funny enough in The Day the Crayons Quit, but the real humor is found when you realize you're nodding along with the crayons because they totally deserve some more recognition.
9'The Book With No Pictures' by B.J. Novak
B.J. Novak kills it with The Book with No Pictures, despite how weird that sounds. But no pictures means text, and you can't exactly read a book without saying every single word printed on the page, right? That's where the humor lies and you and your kids will both cut up at this silly, funny book.
10'Where The Sidewalk Ends' By Shel Silverstein
Some of the poems and drawings in Where the Sidewalk Ends will make you cry and think, but some of them will just make you laugh out loud. This book was hardly ever available in my elementary school library, and as an adult, I still find it just as irresistible.
11'The Stinky Cheese Man And Other Fairly Stupid Tales' by Jon Scieszka
More fractured fairy tales in The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, but it doesn't make them any less funny. A princess kisses a frog and just gets slime on her mouth and the ugly duckling grows up and remains as ugly as ever. All of the stories will make you laugh and feel just a little bit better about your normal life.
12'Olivia' by Ian Falconer
You may not think a book about a cute pig would make you laugh out loud, but Olivia is pretty hilarious to me. I mean, the opening lines include, "She is very good at wearing people out." What more do you need?
13'The Monster At The End Of This Book' by Jon Stone
You don't have to be a Grover fan to find The Monster at the End of This Book hilarious, but it helps to imagine his Julia Child-like voice saying all of the dialogue. It's cute and silly, but the deadpan delivery of Grover's lines will make you laugh out loud.
