As a child I was a reluctant reader. For Christmas, I was given A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, which didn’t interest me at all (sorry!). So off we popped to WH Smiths to choose one book. I chose Roald Dahl’s The BFG. I was hooked. Roald Dahl’s way of writing enthralled me, and made me laugh. I felt like Dahl was a friend of my age, not an adult, and a very funny one at that! I’ve always been drawn to that kind of zany humour, such as TV shows like Dangermouse to The Simpsons then British comedies such as Blackadder. Laughter is good for the soul and I’m passionately laughing about it.
By Elias Zapple
12-year-old skateboarder Michel is in a panic as his little cousin has gone missing. Then Michel goes missing too as he searches for his cousin in strange new worlds where he encounters a sarcastic talking dog who becomes his companion. Together they battle an evil school headmaster as they try desperately to free his cousin and return home.
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By Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake
Giants, giants that eat people, a giant that gives you dreams and lots of silly words and disgusting bodily functions. Fantastic. This was one of the first books I read and it was a real laugh-out-loud one. I hadn’t known up to that point that books could be like that. Roald Dahl had a unique way of writing and speaking to kids. Laughter is so important!
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By Celia Carlile, Orison Carlile
A children’s book that adults can enjoy too. And, I have to say, the humour is right up my cabbage patch. If you don't find this funny then your funny bone needs looking at. It's like a series of comedy sketches with the overall arc of memories of a child's holiday, of course, seen through the innocent eyes of a rather (perhaps dry-witted) child. We're taken through different pivotal memories of the holiday when hilarious moments took place, for example, dad's parking at the airport, and the episode with diarrhea. The funniest, laugh-out-loud moment came towards the end at airport security - I shan't give it away. It resonates with me and probably most people when reminiscing of their own childhoods, and for kids currently going through their own best holidays ever.
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By Lewis Carroll, Illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer
A fantastical book full of imagination and fun. Perhaps not a laugh out loud but the entire situation Alice finds herself in with some impossible characters makes me giggle. Lewis Carroll creates a world full of vivid imagery and wonderful language that is not only engaging but fun too! It changed children’s literature and taught me that you’re only limited by your imagination, and can even make up another silly language. I like to think that my books are similar in that they’re a form of escapism where strange creatures talk and weird things happen. How fun!
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By Lemony Snicket, Brett Helquist
I just love Count Olaf, such a despicable, loathsome individual. It’s the perfect set-up. Three kids, all intelligent and reasonable get to live with a mean, spiteful and horrid individual. It reminds me of Roald Dahl’s Matilda. And who doesn’t like a horrible villain? There’s also the real-life element. The kids go through hard times, like we do in life, and sometimes there isn’t a happy ending. This breaks the formula which you expect to see; that all things end up right at the end, in life they sometimes don’t. But, we can laugh, and we can laugh at ourselves. I think this book achieves that.
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By Craig Smith, Katz Cowley
It’s absurd. I first discovered this book because of a viral video that was making the rounds as viral videos tend to do. It was of a Scottish granny reading the book aloud to her very young grandchild. The granny’s laugh was infectious, as was the story. It’s a simple idea, a simple story and through repetition can help a child learn new words, how to read, and realise that adults can be just mad. Having fun with words is what it’s all about.
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