125 books like Creepy Tales!

I am fascinated by stories of robots evolving into sentient beings. For a change, in this one, the robots do not rise up to destroy their masters. Instead, we are invited into a funny, tender, and exciting tale about a robot who finds herself castaway on a wilderness island and must learn what her purpose is and how to survive. As she and the animals who live there grow closer and closer together, she begins to find a home in the wilderness. A rich story that works on many levels at once. It is a tale about the interdependence of all things in nature, as well as about the perils and possibilities that technology is bringing to us. Best of all, it’s about kindness. 

This is the best book we have read about how to practice in the best way possible. So many people practice hard but don’t improve. We always say, “What you practice, you get good at,” … so make sure you practice and train in the smartest way possible.

Spaced-out practice means you need a break and time to recharge, and that is important for retention. Interleaving means that you don’t stay with one segment of a skill until you master it. You interleave several segments, and it makes it a lot harder to do, but retention and mastery improve.

Mr. Tiger wanted to be wild. He didn't like wearing shirts and top hats.

With his bravery, he decided to go wild and run without clothing. The town didn't know what to think, but after seeing Mr. Tiger being so free, they decided to give it a try. And things started to change and the town became more inclusive.

When we are free to be ourselves, others will see that and build empathy and question, how would that make me feel?

I completely identify with the main character (a koala), who is misunderstood and misidentified as a bear when he is clearly a marsupial. The koala points out where the misunderstanding began and how it was perpetuated, but it is clearly wrong.

Hopefully, by the end of the book, you will not make the mistake of calling a koala a bear. 

Like my previous choices David Shannon’s picture book Good Boy Fergus is built around his excellent timing for humor.

But Shannon’s greatest gift is his ability to convey not only humor, but heart, in his illustrations. Children will love Fergus, a tough and tumble Scottish terrier whose big sweet eyes excuse him from any misbehavior.

Fergus is funny, lovable and like Shannon’s most popular series No David he makes mistakes that children can easily relate to and forgive.

I choose “Fergus” over “David” because I feel some of David’s escapades may be a bit too over the top for young readers. While Fergus, who happens to be a dog, models only “Bad Dog” behavior.

Dev Pilkey is another New York Times best-selling children’s book author that I highly recommend for funny picture books that children will sit still for.

His Captain Underpants series is read worldwide and even earned its main character a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

As a children’s Librarian this is another sure shot book I loved to pull from my shelf if ever I needed an emergency read or as a recommendation for parents looking for a book to interest boys who were more interested in action stories.

This book is a follow-up to Pilkey’s Dogzilla. In both books Pilkey’s humor is a parody. In Dogzilla he uses photos (which is always a novel idea) superimposed on illustrations. Dogzilla acts like Godzillia combating mice.

In Cat Kong the cat is a parody of King Kong and battles the same mice for control of mouse-opolis.

This book is… show more.

What a joy it was to read this book as it both surprised and delighted me by making an unlikely pairing—dragons and tacos—but it makes total sense after reading the book. 

I had no clue what the plot was about before diving in to read, so I was delighted at how the story unfolded with each page creatively and artfully leading up to its hilarious ending. The storytelling is whimsical, unpredictable, and funny. The writer did a good job of feeding my taco-loving soul while also giving a pretty darn good explanation for why these mythical creatures breathe fire. 

I enjoyed the light-hearted nature of the story as much as my son! Books that both entertain kids and their grown-ups are always a slam dunk for me.

I choose my fifth recommendation, Dairy of a Worm for its creative parody of both diary writing and insect life.

The main character of a worm, describing his parents, home life, and school life from a ground-level perspective is hilarious and cute.

The illustrations by Harry Bliss masterfully show the world through the tiny perspective of insects. Giant girls playing jump rope are a terror. And Worm's best friend Spider, is wonderful as an off-shoot side-kick.

In my library I would often follow up the story with a discussion on how life can be viewed from many different perspectives. And I can think of no better spring-board for just such discussion, than Diary of a Worm.

David Shannon first wrote and illustrated this book when he was very young. When he rewrote it as an adult, he only added a few words but the results are outrageously funny. My favorite line and illustration, “Come back here, David!” is complete with a naked behind racing down the street. Words and pictures are sure to evoke a riot of giggles.

First of all, I have always adored Sesame Street’s loveable, furry old Grover, so if he is the star of a book, I’m in! I still remember my mom reading this book to me over 50 years ago and feeling so proud that I was able to thwart Grover’s efforts to get me to NOT turn the pages. (Though, admittedly, that first time… I was totally nervous, like him, to get to the monster at the end!)

All subsequent readings, though, even when I dared to do it on my own, felt like an accomplishment, moving forward despite being afraid. And the end? Well, maybe we are not just who others think we are.