Funny Stories

Bumposaurus
by Penny McKinlay,illustrated by Britta Teckentrup
(Frances Lincoln)
Bumposaurus is given his name before he even hatches: he cannot find his way out of his shell. Needless to say his short-sightedness leads him into all manner of misadventures It’s not until he has narrowly escaped being a Tyrannosaurus’s dessert however, that his myopia is recognised and dealt with.
   Illustrated in bold, bright colours with lumpy shapes, this is a funny story dealing with a serious issue that it deals with sensitively though somewhat simplistically. Nevertheless, it provides a good starting point for discussion about differences and why some children need to wear glasses.
(reviewed by Jill Bennett)
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Wriggly Squiggly
by Jeanne Willis Illustrated by Tony Ross
(Rigby Red Giant)
When a mountaineer falls into the home of some monsters, they see him hanging from his rope and react just as humans do to a spider. A funny story with rhyming text.
Links with science - spiders and insects.
KS1 and KS2
24 pages    ISBN 043304226

Arthur
by Amanda Graham. Illustrated by Donna Gynell
(Rigby Magic Bean)
Arthur is an ordinary brown dog in a pet shop who no one wants to. He tries unsuccessfully to be the same as the animals that do sell until, just as he is about to give up, someone comes into the shop especially for him. The words and pictures combine beautifully to tell a very funny story which children love. Good for predicting what will happen next.
KS1
ISBN 0947212108
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The Shark with No Teeth
by Shoo Rayner
(Heinemann Storyworlds)
A funny story about a shark who frightens everyone until he loses his teeth. Well structured with good repetition.
KS1/early KS2
16 pages    ISBN 0435138561