How funny is it, really?

I've been reading some articles about how important it is to let kids pick out books that they like rather than picking out books that are good for them. You know, like letting kids read Amazing Paper Airplanes instead of The Boring Adventures of Sam the Man. (Neither of those are real books. All but one of the names of the books in this post have been changed to protect the innocent.)

When I was in the 1st grade and learning to read I really wanted to read The Beautiful Purple Unicorn Story and These Bears do Funny Things, but instead, I was given the opportunity to step up my reading in the progressively harder and even more Boring Adventures of Sam the Man. I read about Sam the Man. I read Sam the Man and His Boring Friends and Sam the Man Loses His Silly Hat. All of my reading adventures that year culminated with the boring adventure of Sam the Man Drives his Flying Car With His Friends and Loses His Silly Hat.

I'm not dumb enough to blame all of my disinterest in reading on Sam the Man and his progressively harder and progressively less entertaining step up reading system, but I will say that I might have had more fun and laughed a little more in 1st grade if instead my teacher had handed me These Bears do Funny Things swiftly followed by Those Bears Sure Make Me Laugh. Or Maybe this one:

Lucille by Arnold Lobel

If you like funny books, you'll like Lucille!