Humour Archives - Ivy's Library

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Humour

Wed
23 ^rd

The Cat And The Rat And The Hat
by Em Lynas & Matt Hunt

With picture books I generally find the simplest ideas have the biggest impact, and ‘The Cat and the Rat and the Hat’ is an absolutely perfect example of this. It’s colourful, creative and uses short, sharp rhymes to great comic effect.

Cat is having a lovely snooze on his favourite mat when he sees a rat wearing a lovely big hat. The cat decides he definitely wants the hat so he chases the rat – but what happens when they encounter a bat wearing a fancy cravat? Who gets the hat? Who gets the cravat? Who will sit on the mat? Will it be Cat, Bat or Rat?

Honestly – even typing that made me laugh so you can imagine how much fun this story is to read aloud with little ones! Toddlers and pre-schoolers will love the rhythm and the cheeky, tongue-twisting humour – and if your child is in their Reception year at school (like Ivy) there’s an extra level of enjoyment to be had…

Mon
02 ^nd

I Really, Really Need A Wee
by Karl Newson & Duncan Beedie

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Bush Baby needs a wee. In fact, she really, really needs a wee. She definitely didn’t need to go before she left home (sound familar?!?) but now the situation is really quite desperate and there isn’t a toilet in sight. What on earth is she going to do?

First she tries to think about something else – but that doesn’t work. Then she sets off in search of a loo but ends up being chased by a bear! Now she needs to wee so badly that she’s jiggling up and down and it looks like everything is about to go badly wrong…

Suddenly, she spots a public toilet in the middle of the woods and she whoops with delight. But there’s one small problem – there are at least a hundred animals in front of her in the queue! Will she be able to make it to the bathroom on time?

Fri
11 ^th

Oi Aardvark!
by Kes Gray & Jim Field

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If you’ve been following us a while you’ll know we are huge fans of the Oi Frog & Friends series from genius duo Kes Gray and Jim Field. We have all the books in the series and Ivy literally jumped for joy when the latest was delivered to our door.

A quick recap in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years and haven’t encountered these joyful stories before… Frog, Cat and Dog are 3 friends with a penchant for rhyme and a slightly unhealthy preoccupation with seating arrangements. Cat started the trend in book 1 (Oi Frog!) when she insisted that frogs can only sit on logs then Frog took up the baton in book 2 (Oi Dog!) and has been a tiny bit obsessed ever since.

Thu
09 ^th

There’s A Lion In The Library by Dave Skinner & Aurélie Guillerey

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With her little dimples and tiny button nose, Lucy Lupin looks utterly adorable. However if you take a peek below the surface, Lucy isn’t quite what she seems. She’s actually pretty mean and she loves to tell big juicy lies!

One Monday morning she goes to the library and tells the biggest lie she can think of. She walks right up to the Librarian and tells her there’s a lion in the history section, eating a book about the Ancient Egyptians. The Librarian takes one look at cute little Lucy and presumes she must be telling the truth. The library is evacuated and the police are called but there’s no sign of a lion anywhere. Everyone is perplexed, except little Lucy who finds the whole thing hilarious.

In fact, she enjoys the lie so much that she goes back and repeats it again and again. On Tuesday she informs the Caretaker that there’s a lion in the romance section, and on Wednesday she tells the Coffee Shop Manager there’s a lion in the geography section. Soon the adults at the library cotton on to the fact that adorable little Lucy isn’t actually adorable at all.

Sun
05 ^th

I Can Only Draw Worms
by Will Mabbitt

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It’s rare that I sit down to write a review and don’t really know what to say. This book has no clear story and the only illustrations are crudely drawn worms – yet somehow it’s completely brilliant and we just can’t stop reading it!

So what exactly is it about I hear you ask?

Well, it’s about worms.

And counting.

And counting worms.

Because the author can only draw worms.

And that is about all I can tell you! One of the worms has glasses and one of the worms gets accidentally cut in half. One of the worms even has a flying unicorn and travels to outer space – except the author can only draw worms so we have to imagine the rest…

Wed
01 ^st

Picture Books Which Will Make Kids Laugh Out Loud

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Since the UK lockdown was announced I have had lots of messages from parents who are looking for new books to entertain their little ones. To lighten the mood, I have put together a selection of all our funny favourites. Let us know if there are any you would add to our list!

The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak – Without giving too much away, the basic premise is that the person reading the book has to read every single word out loud, whether they want to or not. Read the review.

Daddy Fartypants by Emer Stamp & Matt Hunt – Daddy Fartypants has a problem. He farts ALL THE TIME! And what’s worse is that he never owns up. Every time he does a bottom burp he blames someone else, whether that’s a tiny baby, a snail or a bear on the telly. Read the review.

Thu
17 ^th

The Terribly Friendly Fox
by Susannah Lloyd & Ellie Snowdon

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If your child likes books with a dark sense of humour then I’d highly recommend you have a look at this one!

It’s time for the Annual Woodland Creatures’ Ball and the little Mouse host has been busy getting his house ready for the occasion. He’s over the moon when a throng of guests appear but is somewhat surprised when a Fox turns up wearing a tuxedo and clutching a bunch a flowers. The tiny animals are all very concerned because the fox has something of a reputation, but when he explains that he’s a reformed character (and a vegetarian!) their worries ease. The fox joins the festivities and soon everyone is having a lovely time.

Gerald the Fox turns out to be the life and soul of the party. Who knew a fox could be so much fun? He proposes a toast over dinner, he sings, he makes balloon animals, he starts a game of musical chairs and even performs some magic tricks. The Mouse is really impressed with his guest (and will definitely be inviting him again next year) but as the evening draws on he starts to get a little concerned that some of his revellers seem to have left the party early. At least that’s what he presumes…

Tue
08 ^th

Dr Duck by Steve Smallman & Hannah George

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If your little one is feeling under the weather then this funny book about an unusual doctor and his patients may be just the thing to cheer them up.

When the animals at his zoo start to fall ill, the zookeeper decides to call the local doctor – Dr Duck! When he arrives he discovers a porcupine who has sneezed so much that all her spines have shot out, a giraffe with a stiff neck, a snake with a high temperature, a mildly depressed hyena and a gorilla with wind. Dr Duck’s cures are unconventional to say the least but they seem to work and soon everyone is feeling better and relaxing in the hot tub.

Everyone that is except the poor farting gorilla. Dr Duck had prescribed some large pants with extra strong elastic to trap the smell of his stinky bottom burps – but the knickers have blown up like a balloon and the gorilla has floated off in to the sky. Can the ingenious doctor find a way to bring him back to earth before its too late?

Tue
12 ^th

Mopoke By Philip Bunting

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Until we bought this book I had no idea what a Mopoke was, but a quick google search informed me it’s a type of owl which is native to Australia!

The little Mopoke in the story just wants to sit on his branch and relax – but the author has other ideas. Each page features a different play on the word Mopoke, with a funny visual to match. Our favourites are the Mo’poke who sports a natty moustache and the ‘Fropoke who has an amazing afro.

The illustrations are fantastic and make both myself and Ivy laugh. If you watch the poor little Mopoke’s eyes you can see him slowly getting more and more frustrated until he finally loses his cool.

It’s such a simple book but we seem to find a new and amusing detail every time we read it. Recommended!

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2l5xaiQ