MY DAD THINKS HE'S FUNNY

Everyone knows that dad who constantly cracks jokes. Some are funny and some not so much.

Australian author Germein fashions this title out of a string of jokes, one-liners and wordplay. As with any audience of such antics, the narrator’s responses vary from a chuckle, laughing out loud or an eye-roll to utter confusion. Mixed-media illustrations by Jellett appear to utilize collage, adding texture and a do-it-yourself feel. The text has a loose structure. On just about every spread, the book’s title serves as a preamble to the series of jests. “My dad thinks he’s funny. When people say, ‘How are you feeling?’ Dad says, ‘With my hands.’ When people say, ‘Would you like sugar?’ Dad says, ‘I’m sweet enough.’ ” One of the more successful quips, sure to cause some giggles, is “when Dad says, ‘Time for a special announcement,’ we leave the room fast, before it really starts to smell.” Here, the picture’s perspective is from below, making the dad look ominous; on the lower right, his son attempts to flee. Overall, this is an amusing tribute to dads who like to yuck it up.

Share with readers with enough knowledge and sophistication to get the humor so the results are either guffaws or groans instead of blank stares.