THE LAUGHING BOOK

All about laughter, from guffaws to ha-has.

Tudor lists obvious reasons why people might laugh: hearing a joke, being tickled, and watching a funny movie. But, as he points out, we have other motivations for doing so, such as when we’re nervous or scared; sometimes we laugh at things that we know we shouldn’t. People chortle, roar, and chuckle; some even cackle diabolically (an illustration depicts a mad scientist in a lab, head thrown back, doing just that). Tudor poses questions (“What does your laugh sound like?” “What makes you laugh?”) that serve as simple invitations to engage—and perhaps to let out a little giggle. Set against neon, generally uncluttered backdrops, Wiseman’s bright cartoon illustrations are an integral part of the storytelling. Full-page pages brim with action, offering readers a chance to linger, while some pages contain several panels with various scenes. All feature round-headed kids with exaggerated, open-mouthed, toothy grins tittering away. Though the point of this book isn’t to elicit big belly laughs, it contains plenty of silliness, many opportunities for conversation, and certainly a chuckle or two. Characters are diverse in terms of race and ability.

Joking aside, this is a kid-friendly guide to the giggles.