Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Toronto, CN

Gigi loves to laugh and she really loves to tell knock-knock jokes (really, really loves to tell them).  What is it with three year olds and knock-knock jokes? They all love hearing them and they love telling them.  Her favorite is: knock, knock / who's there / police / police who? / police let me in, it's cold out here.  Her granddad taught her that one. 

Personally, my favourite is one of ones that drives my kid nuts in a good way: knock, knock / who's there? / banana / banana who? / knock, knock / who's there? / banana / banana who? / knock, knock / (by now recipient might be agitated) who's there? / orange / orange who? / orange you glad I didn't say banana?  She sometimes gets so comically exasperated with me that we are both giggling before getting the final part of the joke out.

By the way, if you have any good preschooler friendly knock-knock jokes or links, please leave them for me, my material is getting old.

Anyhow, I think it's fair to say that pretty much everybody loves funny books, and preschoolers are no exception:  Gigi's collection contain all of the following laugh-inducing books, mostly for their silliness to the extreme.

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin SB picked this one out for Gigi and we all understand why this book is so wildly popular.  We really love the rebellious cows, conspiring chickens, and the frustrated farmer.  Watching the birth of a union makes for a pretty funny outcome.

Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray When I was a kid, farts were rarely a topic in my household, or at least it was considered vulgar but let's face it: everyone farts and farts are generally pretty funny.  Walter is a dog cursed with flatulence gravis and is doomed to a life in the pound until he unlocks his inner hero.  A really funny story with totally trippy illustrations, we love this book.

Green Eggs & Ham Dr. Seuss Gigi loves saying this one along with me.  Green eggs and ham are completely weird and all it's presentations are preposterous, yet the message in the story is brilliant: don't knock it, until you try it.  Gigi loves to discuss all the Seuss creatures and the rhythm of the words makes reading it really fun.

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch The funniest part of this book is the end, when Princess Elizabeth tells Prince Ronald what she really thinks of him.  I have to love that strong female role model.

Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boyton Turkeys are silly, this is a known fact (I have no proof but I just know it's true).  Sandra Boyton's turkey is completely confused and is known to wear his pants on his head.  Not only is this a great little learning-colours book, it's also pretty funny.

Based on her current favs, I see Captain Underpant and Adrian Mole box sets in our reading future.  I can't wait.