Product Description

The knock-knock joke: a kid classic. So many funny, punny punchlines. It was just screaming for its own book. To do this classic joke justice, we decided to gather fourteen of the best-known and most talented children’s book artists to illustrate their favorite punchlines. The results are wacky, zany, and absolutely hilarious.

If you knock on Tomie dePaola’s door, beware! Is that a girl or a gorilla? Who’s knocking at Saxton Freymann’s door? Just a couple of talking lettuces. Talking lettuces?! One impatient cow can hardly wait to get through Laurie Keller’s door, and David Small has a surprise waiting for his intruding vampire.

In this collection, you’ll recognize some of your favorite jokes and be surprised by new ones. But one thing is certain: Each time there’s a knock, you’ll want to answer the door!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #130057 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From Booklist
In the fashion of Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? (2006), 14 children's-book artists (only Chris Raschka appears in both books) illustrate a different groan-inducing knock-knock joke in signature style. Saxton Freymann uses photos of lettuce ("Lettuce who?" "Lettuce in!") made to look like pigs. Tomie de Paola creates two love-struck gorillas to illustrate "Gorilla who?" "Gorill-a my dreams, I love you!" and so on. As in real life, there's always one mark that refuses to play along. In this case, it's Laurie Keller's Impatient Cow, whose "Moo!" interrupts the joke. The final two pages are devoted to the gallery of contributors; there's a likeness of each artist and a humorous statement about who they would want knocking at their doors. De Paola's response is "Sam an' Janet Evening." Don't get it? Try saying it aloud. Although this isn't as visually stunning as Chicken, the artwork is still just great and varied enough to keep children turning the pages. Enos, Randall

Customer Reviews

Fun Book!
I bought this book for my five-year-old because she's learned some knock-knocks from other kids at school and is always trying to make up her own but doesn't understand how they're supposed to work. We both love looking at this book - the illustrations are as amusing as the jokes!

Take a 'Pass' on this book.
Knock, Knock

I bought this book for my four year old daughter for Christmas based on the age recommendation. I was very disappointed with the book and its contents. She can't possibly get the jokes - they are mostly culturally based and not age appropriate; ie "I van to drink your blood" etc. The jokes aren't even funny - not one of them. The pictures may or may not appeal to children; my daughter looked at the book once and hasn't looked at it again. I didn't think the art was particularly enthralling for a child's book.

Also, the artists are VERY impressed with themselves. Their names are listed on the cover (1), on the first page in the book (2), on each joke they illustrated (3) and then two pages are devoted to their choice of who they each want knocking at their door ( a total of 4 times). How many times does a 4 to 8 year old child need to see the artists' names? I have never heard of any of these artists and don't care who they want knocking at their door - can't imagine ANY child age 4-8 will even look at these pages. One artist mentioned wanting Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin at her door. What child knows who these ladies are??? What a waste of space in a child's book.

I do not recommend this book to anyone. I am sure there are better knock knock joke books out there - this one is the bottom of the barrel. I rated it one star only because I couldn't post a 'zero' star.

Knock Knock for Kindergarteners
A teacher at our school has used this book very successfully to have her Kindergarten students understand how to present a Knock Knock joke. The "lettuce" joke is their favorite. Some of the jokes are not appropriate for the Kindergartners, that is my opinion. But overall, a good book to start learning how to tell and interpret jokes, a higher thinking process. She also took the jokes, re-wrote them on sentence strips and the child has to then read the joke and put back into the sequenced order. Again, a higher thinking process. I would recommend this book.