Who Is Melvin Bubble? by Nick Bruel.

Nick Bruel writes some of the zaniest, funniest picturebooks.  Just to jog your memory, he is the author of Bad Kitty.  With Melvin Bubble, Bruel has created a read-aloud masterpiece where each character has a distinct voice that begs to be read aloud and shared.  Add to it Bruel’s cartoon illustrations and you have pure picturebook magic.  The question throughout the book is who Melvin Bubble really is.  The authors interviews his parents, his best friend, his dog, his teddy bear, and many more.  Each tells about Melvin from their own distinct point of view, but no one really knows Melvin the way he knows himself. 

There is great humor throughout the book from an irate Tooth Fairy interview to the brief interview with the magic rock.  Kids of all ages will enjoy this, but the young elementary set will enjoy it the most.  This is one picture book to read to first and second graders that is not overly long and will have them hooting and hollering.  Definitely not one to calm a crowd down, use this one at the end of a long day as a reward.  What an idea!

Ninety-Three in My Family by Erica S. Perl, illustrated by Mike Lester.

This boisterous book tells the story of a little boy who has 93 in his family, including 27 owls, 10 cats, 11 dogs, 2 sisters and a mom and dad.  The little boy tells of how they have to order extra large pizzas, cram themselves into the car, and wash all of the animals.  Not only is the text a rollicking rhyme, but the illustrations will have children laughing out loud.  The two paired together are masterful fun. 

Share this one any time someone needs a good laugh or pure silliness.  My five-year-old especially loved the picture of the cats drinking the shampoo, and had us read that page again and again, even turning back to it at the end of the book.  Days later, he still talks about how funny it is.  Now that is a good book.