Horrid Henry’s Joke Book by Francesca Simon

The cover of Francesca Simon’s Horrid Henry’s Joke Book warns that this book is “Too rude for parents!” They really mean it. Er, sort of.

Filled with groan-worthy puns and gross-out humor, Horrid Henry’s Joke Book is chock full of the sort of simplistic humor that kids love — and some of us grown-ups still appreciate in moments of sleep deprivation. Though if you’re reading this book with your kids, chances are they’ll be doing most of the giggling and you’ll be doing a lot of groaning.

And if you let your kids read this book on their own, prepare yourself for an onslaught of re-tellings. Here are some of the jokes you can expect your kids to be howling over:

When a vampire drinks too much, what does it get?
A fangover. (pg. 5)

Why don’t cannibals eat clowns?
They taste funny. (pg. 15)

What do you do when your nose goes on strike?
Picket. (pg. 20)

There are grosser jokes, too. Some I chuckled over, others I groaned after reading. Still others I cringed and muttered, “Ew” under my breath. Nonetheless, if you’ve got a kid with a funny bone and love for cheesy jokes, pick them up a copy of Horrid Henry’s Joke Book, available everywhere from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.