Got Your Nose by Alan Katz, illustrated by Alex Willan
A wildly committed picture book about a kid whose nose actually gets stolen by an adult who took the "got your nose" trick a little too literally. The absurdity escalates, and I now refuse to do the got-your-nose move for fear of consequences.
If You Laugh, I'm Starting This Book Over by Chris Harris, illustrated by Serge Bloch
Exactly what it sounds like. A narrator threatens to restart the book every time the kid cracks a smile, which of course makes the kid laugh harder, which of course means we start over, which of course… you see where this goes.
The Truth About My Unbelievable Summer by Benjamin Chaud, illustrated by Davide Cali
A kid tells his teacher exactly how he spent his summer in the kind of escalating tall tale that involves pirates, treasure maps, an octopus, and a very good teacher.
Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat
A wildly committed picture book whose narrator wants to walk you through the animal kingdom until we get to fish, at which point the whole book derails into a conspiracy-theory-level warning that fish are Not To Be Trusted.
The Underwearwolf by Gideon Sterer, illustrated by Charles Santoso
A boy receives a strange pair of wool underwear from his uncle, complete with a stern warning not to wear them under a full moon. Reader, he wears them. What follows is a glorious nighttime romp involving paws, claws, wedgies, and a wild wolfpack, with a running refrain about how he probably should have taken them off but then he’d have been butt-naked. My kids howled. Pun absolutely intended.
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
A bear looking for his missing hat questions a series of forest animals. The humor is dry, the ending is dark in the funniest possible way, and watching kids slowly clock what happened is a small parenting joy.
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Adam Rex
An origin story for the playground game. Three warriors from three kingdoms (the kingdom includes a kitchen drawer) wander the land seeking worthy opponents. Equal parts ridiculous and beautifully written, and the read-aloud voice opportunities are unmatched.