85 books like Is Everyone Ready for Fun?

Another book about a dog named George! This George is a sweet, well-intentioned dog who is trying very hard to be good. But oh dear, there are so many temptations. Cake! A cat. Some lovely dirt. 

“What will George do?” the book asks. And then comes the page turn. (As you can probably tell from the title, George doesn’t always make the best choices.) The kids will shout, “Oh no, George!” with me and giggle at the silly illustrations that follow, like George happily eating an entire cake. But they can also relate. Sometimes making the right choices can be hard.  

The ending is unexpected and usually starts a lively discussion. I love anything that gets kids talking to each other about books.

This is my all-time favorite read-aloud. And not just because it features a veterinarian! George the puppy’s mom is disappointed with him because he doesn’t bark. She brings him to the vet for help. On each page, the vet asks George to bark, but instead he makes an incorrect animal’s sound. When George “meows” the vet reaches down inside of George and pulls out a… Yes, you guessed it – a cat! Kids can anticipate and call out which animals the vet will extract from poor George on each page turn. Hilarity ensues. And, in the final spread, something completely unexpected and unexplained happens, perfect for a great post-book discussion. This one never fails to captivate a group of kids—which is really why I adore it.

At storytimes, I see firsthand the value of a good page turn. There’s anticipation. And excitement. And…then…the…page…turns… Oh! Is there a surprise? Something funny?  

Everybody Says Meow has the best page turns. The story starts with a cat talking to the reader. He’s standing with his cat-friends and explains that it’s time for everybody to say meow. “Ready?” he asks. 

On the next page, all the cats are happily saying, “Meow!” BUT—there’s also a dog, peeking around the edge of the page. With a smile and a friendly wave, he says, “Woof!” 

The story continues with these page-turn surprises, and the kids eagerly await the next animal to peek around the page. I love how I have to pause my reading and wait for the laughter to quiet down.

Yay for cow books! Cows can be so charming, and these cows are extra-special—they’ve learned how to type! And they use their new skill to make one polite request. They would like electric blankets. Sincerely, they would. 

I’ve mentioned how much I enjoy humor and a satisfying page-turn. This book showcases another feature that works well for storytimes—a fun refrain. 

Click, clack, moo.

Click, clack, moo.

Clickety, clack, moo.

I have kids say it with me. “Click, clack, mooo!” we say as we watch poor Farmer Brown react to each note. The ending is funny and satisfying and leaves us with a slight twist on this repeated refrain. Sometimes, I’ll hear the kids saying it throughout the day as I walk from class to class. “Click, clack, mooooo!”

There are an estimated 50 billion chickens to the world’s 7 billion humans, and chickens are the closest living relative to Tyrannosaurus rex, so why wouldn’t you want to learn their language? This is a fun, fast book to read in anticipation of getting your first little flock. The central lesson in the book is that you should spend time with your chickens--watching them, but also listening to them. The book teaches what their core vocalizations mean, therefore also helping you in caring for their needs. I couldn’t wait to have a "chicken name" assigned to me by my laying ladies!

You know those car chase movies? Well, this is a picture book version featuring animal chases. The Chicken Thief defies stereotypes in a fun wordless sequence. The reader sees that a fox has stolen a chicken and is being pursued by potential liberators. And the reader might worry that foxes like to eat chickens! Wait for the surprise ending.

I love reading books by authors whose passion for a topic bleeds into their writing. You can tell when you read this book that Mormino loves her chickens and has spent a lot of time working with and thinking about how to best raise them. There are many books out there about raising chickens, but for me, Mormino’s book was just the right length and detail and covered all of the topics you would need to bring some feathered friends into your life.

Tastes Like Chicken is a seriously excellent book on the history and culture of chickens in America since its earliest days! The book is fun and well-crafted for a wide audience because it covers so much about the chicken industry, as well as the history, uses, and symbolism of chicken, as well as a wider range of foods in the United States.

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly is a fable, and as with all good fables, you’re going to find yourself commiserating with an animal. Sprout is a hen who is past her childbearing years. There is no rooster around. Well, there’s one. But he’s got a partner. Childlessness is an unplanned journey for some, and the book shows the grief that many people in this situation might deal with. Just as we’re feeling there is absolutely no hope for our infertile, partner-less, hen, she ends up becoming a mother. But now another unplanned journey pops up. Well, decisions and sacrifices have to be made. 

There are so many reasons why I like this book. After my son was born, I was suddenly on an unplanned journey. I didn’t expect my son to be sickly and developmentally delayed and even now I still pray for a miracle for him. The… show more.

Rosie’s Walk is a perfect example of what a picture book should look like. The text and the illustrations are in perfect harmony, although the text tells us one story and the pictures another. 

The story is about a hen who goes for a peaceful walk across the yard, around the pond, across the field... and back home for dinner. But through the beautiful illustrations you can see a different story. The hen is followed by a naughty fox all the way. The hen was lucky and purely by luck escaped unharmed from the fox, who stepped on the rake, fell into the pond, got stuck in the haycock, and was chased away by bees. 

The book gives the child a chance to participate, take over and become the narrator who tells the story.