My Book of Knock, Knock Jokes

My Book of Knock, Knock Jokes illustrated by Christina Bollenbach (Scholastic Australia)
HB RRP $9.99
ISBN 978-1-74283– 164-0
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

This is the cutest, most attractive joke book I have seen in a long while. And knock, knock jokes can really hit the funny bones of young children who are just starting to play around with words and experiment with their meanings:

Knock, Knock!

Who’s there?

                                         Lucy.

                                         Lucy who?

                                         Lucy-elastic made my shorts fall down.

There are lots of different animals knocking on a variety of doors. A bird knocks on a door in an apple, behind which a worm lives. A chick knocks on the door of an igloo, and inside lives a penguin. These bold, bright illustrations are delightful.

The text and illustrations work in unison - each joke is told up until ‘Andy who?’ or ‘Moo who?’, then the page is turned to reveal the punch line and the animal behind the door.

The layout, pictures and jokes are all pitched at the same age (4+) and will encourage questions, conversations about animals and their homes, and many more jokes from young readers imaginations.

From the front cover, where a cow and a hen peer through the door, to the surprised looking elephant on the back, this joke book is filled with playful characters, word play and funny knock, knock jokes.