Funny Reads for Early Readers That Teach Reading Skills

Jack receives a lab kit as a gift and manages to clone himself over and over. But how will he control all the cloned Jacks? This series is ideal for children who enjoy funny plots but still need limited words on the page.

The young narrator of this story lives with a loud, bossy, hungry “bear,” described through a combination of short sentences and funny speech bubbles. In the end, readers learn that the “bear” is the child’s older sibling, offering a memorable lesson in figurative language.

Fox keeps trying to play pranks on Pig, but they never turn out as planned! This story’s short sentences and rhyming words help readers along. As an extra perk, the organization of speech bubbles on the page helps kids get ready to read graphic novels.

A loud clap of thunder wakes both Dog and Cat. Dog panics and looks for a place to hide, while Cat is unfazed. This simple comic book introduces early readers to graphic novels and encourages them to flex their comprehension skills to enjoy the more nuanced humor.

When pals Elephant and Piggie realize they are IN a story, they have fun making the reader say silly words. The animated speech bubbles encourage children to practice reading with expression. Plus, the plot cleverly builds in extra reminders about how books work.

Itzy is about to start “spindergarten” and wants to drop his babyish “Bitzy” nickname before the first day. This book is excellent for children who can tackle very easy readers confidently but aren’t quite ready for chapter books. The puns naturally prompt them to look carefully at the words, and they’ll need to use prior knowledge of nursery rhymes to understand the story, too.

It turns out that watching the grass grow can be a sidesplitting good time! Various blades of grass (plus one dandelion) compare how tall they’re getting and banter about who is tallest, curliest, or “dandiest.” Then, the lawnmower starts up! Repetitive language helps early readers navigate the story. Readers will also learn about the common word ending “-est.”

What happens when the new neighbor turns out to be a helpful Ogre named Tim? The pictures help tell the tale of how Tim and the young narrator build an amazing outdoor obstacle course. Will big brother Ollie, obsessed with his video game, even notice? Kids will chuckle as they catch onto the joke in this imaginative, easy-reader comic.

A young girl tries to find the perfect footwear for an outing with her dad. Each pair of shoes tries to convince her that they are the best choice. Fun illustrations, simple language, and color-coded speech bubbles offer support for growing readers. Kids will also experience navigating punctuation marks and understanding word play.

Goat and Frog compete to get themselves into teetering, tricky positions. Kids will love their escalating antics so much that they won’t realize how much practice they’re getting with reading and understanding prepositions!