APRIL FOOLISHNESS: POETRY & A PRANK DINNER FOR YOUR FAMILY!

Need some fun reading for April Fool's Day? Try anything from Mo Willems or Dr. Suess. And don't forget about the poetry of Jack Prelutsky...

It's raining pigs and noodles,
it's pouring frogs and hats,
chrysanthemums and poodles,
bananas, brooms, and cats.
Assorted prunes and parrots
are dropping from the sky,
here comes a bunch of carrots,
some hippopotami.


It's raining pens and pickles,
and eggs and silverware.
A flood of figs and nickels
is falling through the air.
I see a swan, a sweater,
a clock, a model train -
I like this so much better
than when it's raining rain.

I mention FAMILY FUN MAGAZINE fairly often on my blog. When my kids were young, it was my go-to resource for fun ideas and activities.  They have some hilarious ideas for April Fool's Day.  I remember the year I served fish sticks (Zagnut Bars) and ketchup(strawberry jam), mashed potatoes and gravy (vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce) and green peas(sour apple Nerds or Jelly Belly candy peas & carrots) to my husband and children for dinner one year! 

Here are some more "pranky" foods from their website:

DESSERT that looks life meatloaf!

MEATLOAF that looks like dessert!

HOW MO WILLEMS MAKES US LAUGH

photo credit:  Marty Umans

Mo Willem's wildly popular picture books about pigeons, piggies, elephants and kunffle bunnies have kids laughing, and reading.  The books - with simple illustrations and word bubbles - are perfect as family read alouds and also as first readers for young learners.  Perhaps it's his past writing and animating for Sesame Street that make his short (sometimes only one-word) sentences fit so perfectly with his simple pictures.

Parents and kids alike will get the quick wit.  And new readers will feel the satisfaction of reading a whole book from start to finish by themselves.  I fondly witnessed this last week when I brought my friend's kids WE ARE IN A BOOK!

(I knew I had to get it into the hands of her middle child Jonah, who is a new reader, after I stood - laughing out loud - in the middle of the bookstore!)

and when another friend's daughter, Sophie, delighted in ELEPHANTS CANNOT DANCE!  all by herself.

The PIGEON books are just as hilarious...  

I was introduced to DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS

at a family camp during "Skit Night".  

THE PIGEON FINDS A HOTDOG

In fact, several of Mo's stories have been turned into plays and musicals!  I think the appeal of these books is the humorous, yet simple, way that Mo deals with kids' emotions and challenges (such as learning to share and not being jealous). That and his funny characters help his stories translate perfectly to the stage.

From "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late" Musical

Mo's KNUFFLE BUNNY books are also adorable and endearing, with his simple illustrations and signature word bubbles, this time against a photographic background.  In the first story, KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE,
a little toddler named Trixie accompanies her dad to the neighborhood laundromat and loses her stuffed bunny.  Panicking, she tries communicating this to him, as he unsuccessfully tries to interpret her "flabble-babbling" on their way back home...

Click HERE to read about KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY MUSICAL and watch a video interview with Mo Willems (at the end of the post).

And have fun perusing Mo Willem's website with your child.

ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?

Do you ever feel like you need a midweek pick-me-up?  This week I definitely did, and I got it yesterday when my friends came over, with toddlers in tow, for our weekly coffee, tea, and conversation time.  One friend (who I can always count on for good book recommendations!) brought three clever and rather offbeat books to share, that her preschool-age daughter recently picked out at the library. All three are irresistibly funny and great for grades K-3 (unless you happen to have a 4- well, almost 5- year-old! preschooler like her daughter Sophie, who has a very quick and sophisticated sense of humor!)

By the way - what are some of your favorite funny books??

WHAT'S SO SCARY? by John Stadler. Review from Library School Journal: Upset that the illustrator has drawn him into the wrong book, a dog tries to get the story right before its conclusion. The artist, it seems, is a bit of a klutz and some spilled paint causes the cast of characters that he has just drawn to flee in terror. Finally, the pup takes matters into his own paws and draws an appropriate ending, which just happens to fit the story he thought he belonged in all along. The text is infused with funny one-liners, sight gags, and wordplay such as "If a tree falls in a book and no one is reading, does anybody know?" or "I've got a sinking feeling" as a boat is filling with water. A narrative strand involves a tortoise and a hare with amusing brief dialogue. The brightly colored illustrations make use of perspective in an imaginative and amusing way. Younger readers may find it confusing, but visually sophisticated youngsters will appreciate the unusual premise.


WHEN DINOSAURS CAME WITH EVERYTHING by Elise Broach, illustrations by David Small.  While running errands with his mom, a young boy is suffering from boredom - until he sees a sign at the bakery they've stopped at that says, "Buy a Dozen, get a Dinosaur".  He can't believe his eyes.  "They must mean a toy," his mom says.  After they purchase their dozen doughnuts, the store owner hands over a dinosaur...a REAL, LIVE, DINOSAUR.  His mother begins to panic a bit as they come to the realization that all the stores in town are participating in this dinosaur "giveaway of the day"!  (After they've acquired four of these giants, his mom decides to go home immediately).  More fun ensues as she finds ways of solving the "problem" of having the dinos in their home.  Great for independent readers or read aloud listeners.


BEWARE OF THE STORYBOOK WOLVES by Lauren Child. This author/illustrator does a clever job of communicating the real fears and runaway imaginations that can inhabit young minds.  Her witty and silly text, combined with her unique illustrations, will turn those unspoken fears into out-loud laughter.  Just imagine what you would do if a storybook character Wolf and his side-kick (more ridiculous than threatening) climbed out of your book and into your room!  Well, a young boy named Herb outwits the Wolf when he reaches into his fairy tale treasury and shakes out more characters, such as Cinderella and a Fairy Godmother, who lend help and some hilarious antics.