Humor & Comedy

You know a book's funny if you're reading it alone and laughing hysterically. Of course, the really great comic masterpieces are also deep reflections on humanity and life and death (like Huckleberry Finn or All Creatures Great and Small or Calvin & Hobbes). Frequently, though, you just need to guffaw, and the literary quality of the piece isn't quite as important as the laugh-factor.

Not that you want to read swill. Cheap laughs might be funny on the surface, but the jokes that actually say something are generally funnier than the ones that simply point and snicker. It's easy to think we're superior because we get the joke, but in reality a lot of modern comedy is no more than the absence of reverence. Real comedy is simply an incongruous presentation of a familiar idea that amuses with its absurdity while offering a new view.

Before you dismiss the need for humor on religious grounds (suggesting that Jesus is the Man of Sorrows, and so must we be in order to be like Him), remember that the "laughter is good medicine" image comes from the Bible (Proverbs 17:22), and that as the Creator of everything God invented laughter. He invented jokes. As the perfect man, Jesus probably told the best jokes ever.

We have a few of them—a rich person will enter heaven as easily as a camel getting through the eye of a needle, or the one about the Pharisee and the plebe who go into the temple at the same time to pray. Jesus clearly saw the absurdity of life (in both of the cases mentioned, the absurdity of human pride), and used it to direct people to the Author of Meaning.

Basically, laughter is really good and you should try it sometime. If you're a little rusty and need a boost, read a funny book: maybe the heartwarming but hysterical adventures of the Gilbreth clan in Cheaper by the Dozen, or the pure zaniness of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, or the heartwarming zaniness of Jeeves and Wooster. Whatever you do, smile more, frown less, and for goodness' sake take laughter seriously.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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69 Items found Print
Active Filters: 2nd grade (Ages 7-8), Used Books & Materials
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Judith Viorst
from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.64 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday
by Judith Viorst
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Alexander, Who's Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move
by Judith Viorst
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.60 (1 in stock)
Baron Rides Out
by Adrian Mitchell, illustrated by Patrick Benson
from Philomel Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Beezus and Ramona
by Beverly Cleary
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Best Loved Fables of Aesop / Nonsense Alphabets
by Aesop, Joseph Jacobs, illustrated by John Tenniel and Joseph Wolf; Edward Lear (Nonsense)
from Grolier Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.80 (2 in stock)
Book With No Pictures
by B. J. Novak
from Penguin Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.29 $7.20 (1 in stock)
Charlie at the Zoo
by Marcus Pfister
from North-South Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Clementine
by Sara Pennypacker & Marla Frazee
from Hyperion Books for Children
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Drat These Brats!
from Margaret K. McElderry Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Duck for President
by Doreen Cronin
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Feelings
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$3.20 (2 in stock)
Foot Book
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Foot Book
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$2.40 (2 in stock)
Fox in Socks
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.20 (4 in stock)
Franklin Endicott and the Third Key
Tales from Deckawoo Drive Book 6
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.94 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Frog and Toad All Year
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.09 $2.80 (1 in stock)
Frog and Toad Are Friends
An I Can Read Book Level 2 (Reading with Help)
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1971 Caldecott Honor Book
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.09 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Frog and Toad Are Friends
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1971 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Frog and Toad Together
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1973 Newbery Honor Book
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.09 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Giant John
by Arnold Lobel
Weekly Reader Book Club Ed. from Harper & Row
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Gift of the Magi
by O. Henry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Gullywasher (bilingual)
by Joyce Rossi
from Luna Rising
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.61 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Hank the Cowdog #01
Hank the Cowdog #1
by John R. Erickson
from Maverick Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Hank the Cowdog (Location: SER-HANK)
$5.94 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
by Betty MacDonald
52nd Printing from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Henry and Ribsy
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Henry's Quest
by Graham Oakley
from Atheneum
for 1st-4th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$48.00 (1 in stock)
Hetty and Harriet
by Graham Oakley
from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$30.40 (1 in stock)
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
by Marjorie Priceman
from Dragonfly Books
Humor for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.64 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Hush Up!
by Jim Aylesworth, illustrated by Glen Rounds
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
If You Made a Million
by David M. Schwartz
from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Journey Cake, Ho!
by Ruth Sawyer, illustrated by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1954 Caldecott Honor Book
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub
by Audrey & Don Wood
1st edition from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Lady With the Ship On Her Head
by Deborah Nourse Lattimore
from Harcourt Brace Jovanich
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook
by Joyce Lankester Brisley
from Kingfisher
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
Mishmash
by Molly Cone, illustrated by Leonard Shortall
3rd printing from Houghton Mifflin
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Miss Nelson Is Missing!
by Harry Allard, James Marshall
Reissue from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.60 (1 in stock)
Mouse and the Motorcycle
by Beverly Cleary
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Mr. Revere and I
by Robert Lawson
from Little, Brown & Company
Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm
by Betty MacDonald
Stated First Scholastic Printing from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Napping House
by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Olivia Saves the Circus
by Ian Falconer
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Once a Mouse
by Marcia Brown
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1962 Caldecott Medal Winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Ordinary Princess
by M. M. Kaye
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-6th grade
$6.79 $2.80 (1 in stock)
Paper Bag Princess
by Robert Munsch
39th Printing, December 2000 from Annick Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (3 in stock)
Pippi Goes on Board
Pippi Longstocking #2
by Astrid Lindgren
from Viking Press
Humor for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking #1
by Astrid Lindgren
from Puffin Books
Humor for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking #1
by Astrid Lindgren
from Scholastic Inc.
Humor for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$1.60 (4 in stock)
Poke in the I
by Paul Janeczko
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$6.79 $4.40 (3 in stock)
Poke in the I
by Paul Janeczko
1st edition from Candlewick Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$9.60 (1 in stock)
Poppleton
Poppleton #1 of 5
by Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Mark Teague
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
1982 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Ramona the Brave
Ramona Quimby Books
by Beverly Cleary
Reprint from HarperCollins
Humorous Stories for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Ramona the Pest
Ramona Collection Book 2
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $2.40 (2 in stock)
Ramona the Pest
Ramona Collection Book 2
by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Louis Darling
1974 printing from William Morrow & Company
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Rosie's Walk
by Pat Hutchins
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.64 $3.60 (5 in stock)
Rosie's Walk
by Pat Hutchins
from Macmillan
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Sheep in a Shop
by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple
from Trumpet Club
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Sheep Out to Eat
by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple
from Trumpet Club
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Snow
by Philip.D. Eastman, Roy Mc Kie
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Snowbound with Betsy
by Carolyn Haywood
6th printing, 1969 from Yearling
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$100.00 (1 in stock)
Stanley's Christmas Adventure
by Jeff Brown
1st edition from HarperCollins
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$1.60 (1 in stock)
Talented Clementine
by Sara Pennypacker & Marla Frazee
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Talking Crocodile
by Fyodor Dostoevsky, adapted by M. Rudolph Campbell, illustrated by Judy Piussi-Campbell
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$18.40 (1 in stock)
Tell Me a Joke
by Dana Bruce (editor), illustrated by Bill Sokol
from Platt and Munk Publishers
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Tikki Tikki Tembo
by Arlene Mosel
from Square Fish Publishing
Humorous Folk Tale for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Veronica / Three Little Horses
by Roger Duvoisin & Piet Worm
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.80 (3 in stock)
Wind Blew
by Pat Hutchins
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)