HA-HA! MADE YOU LAUGH!

Endearingly goofy illustrations and interactive surprises should guarantee giggles for toddlers and caregivers alike.

This book involves young readers in several ways: with invitations to children to make funny faces and stick out their tongues, scratch, tap, or blow kisses, and with flaps that lift to reveal surprise pictures and punchlines (some funny, some eh), each preceded by a bold and hearty “HA-HA!” Whether or not caregivers find any particular setup and denouement uproarious, there’s more than enough going on here to maintain their toddlers’ infectious enthusiasm and laughter, making this a fun shared read. The illustrations are simple, uncluttered, bright, and colorful, depicting a variety of silly and expressive animal characters. The “HA-HA!” format means the jokes are on readers, who presumably encounter the unexpected (and mostly comical) beneath each flap. More-cynical readers might wonder if this book, though good-natured in intent, is the kindergarten version of “Teasing 101.” It’s hard for adults not to hear “HA-HA! Made you look!” and a number of other “HA-HA!” taunts in their heads while reading aloud. Of course, preparing children for the inevitable is perhaps not a bad thing; it could even prompt a conversation about knowing when kidding or teasing is lighthearted and funny and when it’s not.

Expect plenty of “HA-HA!”s in the home.