Book picks similar to
I Am Actually a Penguin by Sean Taylor


picture-books
imagination
picture-book
animals

Silly Tilly


Eileen Spinelli - 2009
    She takes her baths in apple juice. She wears a pancake as a hat. She tries to ride the farmer’s cat."But the barnyard animals complain that she’s too silly. When she stops entertaining her friends with her antics, the farm becomes a quiet and unhappy place. David Slonim’s acrylic, pencil, and ballpoint pen illustrations add to the hilarity in this story about a one-of-a-kind silly goose.

Don't Push the Button!


Bill Cotter - 2013
    Who knows what would happen?Okay, quick. No one is looking... push the button.Uh, oh.

Charlotte the Scientist Is Squished


Camille Andros - 2017
    She solves important problems by following the scientific method. She has all the right equipment: protective glasses, a lab coat, a clipboard, and a magnifying glass. What she doesn’t have is space. She has so many brothers and sisters (she is a rabbit, after all) that she is too squished to work on her experiments! Can she use science to solve her problem? This funny, satisfying story is a playful introduction to the scientific method and perfect for sparking an interest in STEM subjects.

999 Tadpoles


Ken Kimura - 2003
    Hungry hawks are flying through the sky. A young frog makes a mighty tasty morsel.   Never underestimate the quick wits of 999 young frogs!

Chicken Butt!


Erica S. Perl - 2009
    The word repetition in Erica S. Perl’s text, and wonderfully comic illustrations by beloved artist Henry Cole, make this a particularly inviting book for new readers, as does the opportunity to “trick” a parent or other adult into participating in a very silly joke. The humor builds to a surprising and satisfying conclusion. Warning: Kids will want to read this one over and over and over again! “An unhinged piece of slap-happy rhyming…rocket-propelled artwork…the romp is a powerful piece of cacophony, more frenetic by the moment.”—Kirkus Reviews

Katie Loves the Kittens


John Himmelman - 2008
    She loves them so much!But Katie's enthusiasm frightens the kitties, and she's sad when they run away from her. Don't they know that she just wants to play?Katie Loves the Kittens is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Splat the Cat


Rob Scotton - 2008
    What if he doesn't make any new friends? Nervous kitties wondering about friends and school will enjoy laughing along with Splat the Cat!Just in case, Splat decides to bring along his pet mouse, Seymour, and hides him in his lunchbox. The teacher, Mrs. Wimpydimple, introduces Splat to the class and he soon starts learning all his important cat lessons.But when Seymour escapes and the cats do what cats do (they chase mice!), Splat's worried again. Maybe now he'll lose all his friends, old and new! Just in time, wise Mrs. Wimpydimple takes charge and teaches everyone an important new lesson.Maybe Cat School is going to be okay after all! A fun school story to share in the classroom or at home.

Swashby and the Sea


Beth Ferry - 2020
    This hilarious picture book will keep emerging readers laughing, and the message-related mishaps in the story create an opportunity for spelling and sounding out new words while learning from home! Captain Swashby loves the sea, his oldest friend. And he loves his life by the sea just as it is: salty and sandy and serene. One day, much to Swashby’s chagrin, a young girl and her granny commandeer the empty house next door. All Swashby wants is for his new neighbors to GO AWAY and take their ruckus with them. When Swashby begins to leave notes in the sand for his noisy neighbors, however, the beach interferes with the messages that are getting across. Could it be that the captain’s oldest friend, the sea, knows what Swashby needs even better than he knows himself?

Dooby Dooby Moo


Doreen Cronin - 2006
    But this time they’re pooling their considerable resources to win a local talent show, because first prize is a trampoline! The cows want to sing. The sheep want to sing. The pigs want to...dance. Dance? And Duck? Duck just wants to win that trampoline. But first he’ll have to handle Farmer Brown.

I'm Sticking with You


Smriti Prasadam-Halls - 2020
    Whatever you're doing, I'm sticking with you. It's wonderful to have good friends to see you through the good times and the bad. But sometimes, friends can also be a bit . . . well . . . overbearing. A gorgeously warm, funny book about everything a friendship can be – for anyone who's ever had a friend.

The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot!


Scott Magoon - 2013
    He’s funny. He’s not real. Or IS he? This clever twist on “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” is told from the point of view of an unexpected narrator and, through snappy text and lighthearted illustrations, demonstrates the value of telling the truth, the importance of establishing trust, and (of course!) the possibility that a beast you created to get attention can become a real-life friend. Includes audio!

Sterling, Best Dog Ever


Aidan Cassie - 2018
    But no home has ever wanted him. So when Sterling sees a sign on the side of the Butlery Cutlery Company advertising free "shipping to homes around the world," he is determined to become the most terrific fork ever! For what home doesn't need flatware?Sterling is delivered on time and undamaged to the Gilbert family's front door. He is not, however, what they ordered. . . . But he may be exactly what they need. Here is a humorous, heart-tugging picture book about finding a family who wants you just as you are.

One Cool Friend


Toni Buzzeo - 2012
    It's just proper enough for a straight-laced boy like him. And when he asks his father if he may have one (please and thank you), his father says yes. Elliot should have realized that Dad probably thought he meant a stuffed penguin and not a real one . . . Clever illustrations and a wild surprise ending make this sly, silly tale of friendship and wish fulfillment a kid-pleaser from start to finish.

Just in Case You Want to Fly


Julie Fogliano - 2019
    just in case you want to flyhere's some windand here's the skyA joyful, inclusive cast of children fly, sing, and wish their way across the pages, with everything they could ever need--a cherry if you need a snack, and if you get itchy here's a scratch on the back--to explore the world around them.

Hi, Pizza Man!


Virginia Walter - 1995
    'Hi, Pizza Man!' replies the thoughtful child. . . .(But) what if it's a pizza woman?. . . a pizza kitty?. . . a pizza duck?. . . The book has a wonderfully satisfying roundness that comes full circle when the doorbell finally rings.--The Horn Book.