10 hilarious books to make you laugh

Making a child laugh is one of the best feelings in the world, and I’m lucky enough to have made a career out it – firstly in children’s television, starring in numerous comedy shows including Swashbuckle and Big Fat Like, and then as an author, writing the monster-hunting comedy books Nora and the Map of Mayhem and Nora and the Compass of Chaos. 

There have been so many fantastic comedy books for children published in recent years; here’s a list of 10 of my absolute favourites.

Packed throughout with hilarious asides from the narrator, this genuinely laugh-out-loud book is about a boy who turns into a random animal whenever he feels anxious. 

The scene where he has to poo out of a window as a rhinoceros will forever be etched into my brain, perhaps because of Sarah Horne’s glorious illustrations.

I adore Christmas and so do the Carrolls, who celebrate it every day of the year. 

There is so much joy in this book – from a toilet that sings Christmas carols to a donkey with serious attitude who’s decided he’s a reindeer – all sprinkled in a tonne of tinsel and fairy lights.

Quirky, anarchic and subversive – just the way I like my comedy! – Bad Panda tells the story of a panda called Lin who refuses to be cute, and goes out of her way to cause as much trouble as possible. 

Sheena Dempsey’s comic-book-style illustrations of a scowling panda complement the text perfectly and make this book utterly irresistible.

Frank Jr. Jr. receives a whopping inheritance of £460,00 from a grandma he didn’t even know he had, but it comes with a price: he also has to look after his estranged grandpa. 

Joyously witty, Jenny Pearson’s sense of humour shines through on every page, delicately balanced alongside poignant themes of family connection and how to find true happiness. 

When Josh and Daisy buy a tatty old robot for £3 at a car boot sale, they have pretty low expectations, but then Dadbot comes alive and turns out to be extraordinarily awesome. But Doctor Egg has discovered Dadbot’s amazing abilities (including unlimited hot chocolate and a bum that doubles up as a printer) and will stop at nothing to steal him for his own dastardly plans. 

With gorgeous colour illustrations throughout that leap off the page, this wacky, fast-paced graphic novel is an absolute riot. 

This book is so full of life and fun, I gulped it down in two sittings. An orphan called Nine finds herself in a magical hodgepodge house, the inhabitants of which need her help to break the terrible spell that’s been placed over them. 

It’s populated with a plethora of wondrous characters, including my personal favourite Eric the housekeeper – a troll who is obsessed with his feather duster. 

Loki the God of Mischief has been trapped inside the body of a young boy and is forced to go to school and do boring human things. 

It’s such a brilliant premise and Louie Stowell executes it perfectly, as well as scattering the pages with cartoony illustrations that really make the text pop.

There is something so endearing about this gentle comedy about Billy Plimpton, an 11-year-old boy with a stammer who dreams of being a stand-up comedian. 

Charming and delightful, with genuinely funny one-liners from its protagonist throughout, it’ll have you roaring for an encore.

Riley is the unluckiest person in the world, thanks to an annoying curse by a fortune teller. Then super-cool Brad Chicago starts at Riley’s school, and it is the relationship between the two of them that really makes this book sing. 

Quirky, unpredictable and full of heart, this book is truly delightful. 

Well, I had to add one of my own books to the list, didn’t I?! And this one is hilarious, obviously. Told from the perspective of a rude and unpredictable great-grandmother, this wild adventure has flying, ice-breathing monsters, a heist on a high-speed train, and a rogue Monster Hunter called Nightblade who must be stopped at all costs. 

I had so much fun writing this book, and hope you have just as much fun reading it. 

Both Nora and the Map of Mayhem and Nora and the Compass of Chaos by Joseph Elliott, illustrated by Nici Gregory, are out now.