Just Joking 5, by Rosie Gowsell-Pattison. National Geographic Kids, Random House. 2014. $8.99 ages 6 and up

"What do you call a chickpea

murder investigation?

 

A hummus-cide.

 

Why did the farmer give up

training his pig to find buried

mushrooms?

 

Because it was more truffle

than it was worth."

 

 OH! I happily remember those days when I was driving kids to nursery school. They had just learned what a joke could be, and did not yet have the subtleties for telling them. They sat in the back seat regaling each other with what they thought was hilarious. I, on the other hand, wondered how much longer it would take to get to Wee Wisdom and let Mrs. Thompson laugh uproariously as I was doing. I would give anything to be back there to listen to the small, sweet snickers.

Kids love jokes, and love to tell them. In this fifth book from the very successful Just Joking series, they will be overwhelmed with new material. There are 300 jokes here, and they range from knock-knocks, question and answers, to tongue twisters. As well, there are wonderful, clear photographs (this is a National Geographic publication!) of expressive animals, birds and people. Many of the photos are accompanied by teeny tidbits of information.

"Say this three times: Two-toed tree toad.

The red-eyed tree frog's brightly colored eyes and markings help to scare away predators."

Readers will immediately want to share all that this entertaining book has to offer. So, be prepared!