Monday, September 29, 2025

Fun, silly, joyful picture books for children are delightful [Review]

Children's picture books should be fun, silly, entertaining, captivating, engaging. They should bring out the smiles and joy of being a child. In these three books the child can enjoy being a child and read about the silly, the fun and the joy that the bit of a pun, a joke, and some silliness can bring.


Zip Zap Wickety Wack: A Story About Sharing by Matthew Diffee 


ISBN 9780823458714
Hardcover $18.99 USA
Neal Porter Books
Holiday House Publishing

My thoughts:
  When goat and sheep get a bit contentious over their both "saying" baa, they and the other animals suggest they choose a different "say." So they go through all the animal's ways of speaking or sounding off. Of course, no one wants to relinquish his way to "say."

Then the book goes beyond the traditional kiddie animal book and inserts a flying saucer alien into the mix. Game on! A bit of alien  advice and the action starts.

Simple illustrations capture the drool fun and personalities of the animals with bold lines and soft watercolor washes.  I really like the simplicity of the illustrations. A fun read and kids will love.

About the book: New Yorker cartoonist Matthew Diffee makes his children’s book debut with this laugh-out-loud twist on the classic animal sound book.

The cow says “moo.” The horse says “neigh.” Everyone can agree on these.

But when the sheep says “baa,” the goat cuts in. The goat also says “baa.” Now what? No one wants to share their sound!

The sheep has an idea—he’ll just say something no one’s ever said before: “zip zap wickety wack bing bang walla balla flip flap yackety yack.” But an otherworldly visitor shows up to lay claim to this sound, too—and the alien doesn't want to share his identity either.

When the alien proposes a radical new way forward, the sheep and the goat find a compromise—and it may sound familiar to adult readers . . .

New Yorker cartoonist Matthew Diffee’s hilarious wit will be an immediate hit with young readers in his first picture book. Sure to inspire boisterous read-alouds and threaded with a sneaky message about sharing, Zip Zap Wickety Wack will inspire new nonsense and new values in homes, classrooms, and farmyards around the world.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection


Oh Dear, Look What I Got! by Michael Rosen & illustrated by Helen Oxenbury 


ISBN: 9781536235685
Hardcover $17.99 USA
Candlewick Press

My thoughts:
  Repetitive stanzas with a bit of rhyme take the youngster on a shopping trip. Every time he searches for an item, he is given something different. And he does NOT want that! Alas, he seems stuck with critters he doesn't want until.....

He gets a good item and all seems fine. 

I love the illustrations, simple text, and bit of brown paper wrapping of parcels. A delightful book. The teaming of author Michael Rosen and illustrator Helen Oxenbury is perfect.

About the book: The incomparable creative team behind We’re Going on a Bear Hunt reunite for a read-aloud comedy of misunderstandings that has all the hallmarks of a classic.

I went to the shop to get me a carrot.
Oh dear! They gave me . . .
. . . a parrot.
Oh dear! Look what I got.
Do I want that? No, I do NOT!

As a hapless boy goes from shop to shop, requesting a series of perfectly reasonable items—a hat, a coat, a cake, a chair—he finds himself thwarted at every turn, amassing instead a growing menagerie of animals who happily follow him on his errands. It’s not until he finally asks for a cup that he’s proffered a wriggly creature that solves his dilemma . . . or does it? Adding delicious momentum to Michael Rosen’s rhymes (and mastery of the page turn) are an expressive crew of animal characters rendered as only Helen Oxenbury can, making for a timeless story guaranteed to beg many repeat readings. Oh dear! 


Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?: A Hard-boiled Mystery by Brianna Caplan Sayres & illustrated by Mark Fearing 


ISBN: 9780823458271
Hardcover $18.99 USA
Holiday House Books

My thoughts:
  A new take on the traditional question of "Why did the chicken cross the road?".  This is really one adults will enjoy maybe more than the little ones. That's because it is simply riddled with catch-phrases and puns. The story and "mystery" is cute and children will enjoy it.

The bright, colorful illustrations capture the barnyard and chicken community perfectly for this fun, silly book. 

I think it's delightful and a lot of fun.

About the book: A barnyard mystery takes on a noir-esque spin in this hilarious picture book chock full of puns, perfect for fans of 7 Ate 9 and Interrupting Chicken.

Inspector H. Poulet has a new case on her wings. The Chicken has apparently crossed the road, and no one knows why.

Can the Inspector get to the bottom of this tangled nest of questions? Squawking from one udderly unhelpful clue to the next, H. Poulet follows The Chicken’s path across the farm. But the case seems totally scrambled! If the Inspector can’t solve it soon, she’ll have egg on her face.

In the end, the mystery resolves itself with a sunny-side-up twist: a surprise birthday party awaits H. Poulet on the other side of the road. The animals flock together for a barnyard bash, and the Inspector retains her eggcellent reputation—despite having missed all evidence of the party.

From the bestselling author of Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?, this laugh-out-loud farm adventure has wacky, kid friendly illustrations by animator Mark Fearing. Readers young and old will love spotting the clues that H. Poulet overlooks and relish every cleverly crafted pun.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided complimentary copies by the publisher or its representative to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine alone and are freely given.

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