Silly picture books tell children that reading is FUN

I had a completely different post planned but then I read 3 really great picture books on my way home from work and this happened. *shrugs*

The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak delivers exactly what it promises. This book has no pictures but it's an excellent book to read aloud to kids. (You may recognize the name B.J. Novak and that's because he played Ryan on The Office.) This book is fantastic because it's full of silly words and sounds. It's set up so that it makes the grownup reading it look like a complete moron which is exactly what kids love to see. The hammier the reader is the more the kids listening will love it. I highly recommend you read it as long as you're willing to really commit to being over the top.

And of course you turn the page and have to sing a silly song. hahaha

Book #2 is It's a Tiger! written by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Jeremy Tankard. (When reading out loud to a kid make sure that you always read the title at the start and the finish as well as give credit to the author and the illustrator. #protip) This story has super bright colors and tells the tale of a little boy who is just minding his own business when A TIGER!! appears. Before the turn of each page, the reader (and listener) are left in anticipation of a tiger attack. It's ridiculous and fun and a great excuse to get your little readers involved by asking them questions and having them scream out IT'S A TIGER with you.

An example of when you and your little listener can yell with each other.

And then the final book I'll be mentioning in this post is Dragons Love Tacos which is written by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri. I want to start off by saying that I would buy prints of this book's illustrations to hang up on my walls. They are a perfect example of the kind of illustrations that I love. It's fine line drawing with pops of color. So much attention to detail! If you want to know what a dragon's favorite food is then wait no more because the title says it all. Dragons apparently LOVE tacos. There are a few caveats to this though and you'll have to read the book to discover exactly what those are. This is perfect for the dragon lovers (or taco lovers) in your life. Note: This book will probably make you want to eat tacos.

The title page and the reason why I picked up this book.

Yes, those are taco balloons.

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **