12 hilarious picture books

Silliness is strongly encouraged in this delightfully simple board book. Help your little one discover all the funny faces they can make, as the book prompts ideas along the way. Light on words and simple in its illustrations, there’s boundless fun to be found in the interaction this book will encourage between you and your little one.

Having just eaten its last friend, a monster sets out on a quest to find a new one. But finding friends is not as easy as it looks – an experience that many children may relate to! This is a hilarious picture book with a twist, perfect for reading over and over.

A classic for a reason, Tickle, Tickle by Helen Oxenbury is a lovely book for prompting plenty of interaction (in the form of tickles!) between you and your baby. It has simple text and joyful illustrations of babies squelching in mud, splish-splashing in the bath and cuddling up with loved ones.

A hilarious twist on the classic nursery song ‘Ten Green Bottles’ with a cheeky theme that all children will enjoy! Perfect for learning and practising numbers (‘sums with bums’) from 10 down to zero. With loads to explore on each page, a catchy rhyming text, and much silliness all round.

Now over 20 years old, this modern classic was one of the first picture books to invite the reader into the story. You’re told by the bus driver to on no account let the pigeon drive the bus, but that pigeon is very persistent – what will you do? Great for getting wee ones involved and lots of laughs for adults too.

“There were ten in a bed and the speckled hen said, roll over, roll over”. A funny take on the classic rhyme, the clever split page formats allow for much hilarity as each animal tumbles out of bed. The pages fan out to give a tempting peep into which animal might be next – children will love the anticipation and joining in with the repetition.

A hilarious cast of oddballs are off to see a volcano. Why? Who knows – but, of course, things don't go quite to plan. This is a rip-roaring picture book full of fun and a sprinkling of chaos. Look out for the delightful endpapers which include a whole host of extra funny characters.

There’s something amiss with Duck’s teapot. But never fear, as Tiny Horse is on the case. Silliness ensues in spades as Duck and Tiny Horse attempt to lure an unwanted to visitor out of the teapot. Morag Hood takes the simple and spins it into a delightfully surreal tale with an unexpected ending that children will delight in.

A charmingly quirky board book that sees various animals comparing bottoms! It's so simple, yet so good – and we love the subtle message of body positivity that can be found as each animal shows pride in their behind.

Two delightfully naughty eyebrows run riot in this hilarious and mischievous rhyming romp. The eyebrows jump from animal to animal, taking over foreheads and minds in their quest to rule the world! The endless chaos Eyebrow One and Eyebrow Two bring upon Dave the Bear and his friends is sure to have you and your little one in hysterics.

This is a hilarious book to share with your little one, because try as you might nothing will make this duck blink! You can even try telling a really funny story, this cheeky duck will not blink. Give it a go – just remember, don’t look away, don’t even blink otherwise you might miss something. . .

Clive is a penguin with big ideas. Some days he wonders if he could be somewhere else or even someone else – maybe a unicorn, maybe a space penguin, maybe even a hot dog in a roll. Could an orange shape in the sea change his destiny forever? Ben Sanders’ stylish artwork conveys the beautiful Antarctic landscape as a backdrop to some brilliantly expressive penguins, and Clive’s dry wit is truly a delight in this laugh-out-loud picture book.