Funny

Mr. Minky bikes along a lumpy, bumpy, jungle track carrying a double-dip-chocolate-chip-and-cherry ice cream topped with rainbow twinkles and chopped-nut sprinkles. There’s tongue-twisting repetition when, one by one, butterflies, a toucan, spider monkey, tiger, and crocodile join in a chase for a taste.

Clements shows a keen sense of humor through his characters. In this book, a student “journalist” writes an exposé about her teacher — an act that ultimately benefits the teacher and the entire class.

Sachar, who won the Newbery Medal for his 1999 book Holes, can find a kid’s funny bone as readily as he can identify what concerns kids most. This popular series of early-reader chapter books follows the trials and triumphs of Marvin as he confronts the ever-tumultuous third grade.

Foy Rin Jin is a dragon. He is huge, red, and breathes water instead of fire. It’s not easy being a dragon who doesn’t fit in. Humiliated, he leaves the dragon lair to venture into the human world. This makes a great read-aloud.

If your students like booing bad puns, have them read this. The authors have come up with 26 stories about challenging words–from abasement to zealot–each ending in a word-defining pun.

This picture book is a lively vocabulary stretcher. Van Allsburg presents the alphabet as a 26-act play. Each letter is one act, one image: “Act 1: The A was in an avalanche.” “Act II: The B was badly bitten.” First you see the image and then you turn the page to read the clever twist on each black-and-white letter.