The best funny easy-to-read chapter books in a series for kids

Best buddies Pizza and Taco start out bored, but this book is anything boring! After several goofy ideas fail, the friends come up with a great one: throw a party! Of course, their plans go awry, including the sign mistakenly announcing a "Farty" instead of a "Party".  After reading this book, kids may not be able to look at a slice or a taco again without laughing.

"Greee-TINGS BEST FRIEND IN THE MILK- eee waaay," says Geeger the Robot. Greetings, Geeger! When Geeger's efforts to cheer his friend Tillie fail, he computes information offered by their teacher to find the best way to help. With Geeger by her side, it's hard for Tillie—or any reader—to be down in the dumps for long. Jarrett Lerner's book is filled with heart and humor and, happily, this book is part of a series. 

Mr. and Mrs. Watson have a pig named Mercy, whom they lovingly call their "porcine wonder". The Watsons are human, but thanks to Chris Van Dusen's illustrations, there's a perfect family resemblance. When Mercy hops into bed with Mr. and Mrs. Watson and the bed starts to fall through the floor, Mercy runs next door for help. The sisters who live there are Baby (definitely no babe), and crabby Eugenia (wait till you see her crabby face). And the Eugenia-Mercy chase is on! This book is madcap, sweet-natured fun. 

A Bad Kitty book that's (mostly) about dogs? Count me in! (I write a lot of dog books.) Kitty is in a very, very, very bad mood, and nobody knows why. The ever-slurpy Puppy gives Kitty a big sloppy kiss, which turns out to be a big mistake! Uncle Murray is called in to get Puppy out of the chaos and somehow (you'll have to read the book for the details), Puppy lands in an animal shelter. Laughs, information about dogs and shelters, and a smart surprise ending make this book a great lead-in to the enormously popular Bad Kitty series. (Full disclosure: The word "lousy" is used once. Hopefully that won't dissuade any grown-up from sharing this reader-enticing book.)

No list of funny, easy chapter books would be complete without Captain Underpants! This first book in the series introduces us to best buddy mischief makers George and Harold who hypnotize their principal, turning him into Captain Underpants. George and Harold are good kids. Really. I mean it. They just happen to have a mile-long "silly streak".  While not every adult approves of these books because the kids are cheeky, this is humor that gets kids reading. It's an honorable goal with exemplary execution. (Note: Author-illustrator Dav Pilkey was diagnosed as a kid with ADHD and dyslexia. At school, he was sent to sit out in the hallway daily. His success story, shared at the end of the book, is inspiring.)