15 Best Books for 7-Year-Olds That Are Actually Funny

Seven is where things get interesting.

A seven-year-old might still want you to read a picture book tonight.

Tomorrow they'll disappear with a graphic novel.

The next day they'll announce that a 144-page chapter book is "too long" and then spend forty minutes reading comics about a dog-headed police officer.

This is normal.

If you're new to Book Explorers, I'm Jungle Jimmy the Book Explorer, children's author, dad, and longtime performer for kids. Readit the Book Worm is my childlike sidekick, which means he considers himself management whenever we're talking about funny books.

"I have standards."

You laugh at underwear.

"High standards."

Fair enough.

For seven-year-olds I'm looking for books that are genuinely funny, visually inviting, and able to pull a kid forward.

Not because they have to finish another chapter.

Because they want to.

As with the rest of this age series, the ranking is fit at seven, not the Belly Laugh Scale. Some of these carry a score from a full review and some don't have a review yet.

Quick Picks

• Best Overall: Dog Man
• Best for Kids Who Want Action: The Bad Guys
• Best Funny Chapter Book: Dory Fantasmagory
• Best for the Kid Who Thinks Underwear Is Literature: Captain Underpants
• Best First Graphic Novel: Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea!
• Best Bridge to Chapter Books: Mercy Watson to the Rescue
• Best Funny Adventure: The Princess in Black
• Best Short-Kid Comedy: Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid
• Best Book to Still Read Aloud: The Book With No Pictures
• Best Visual Joke: Sam & Dave Dig a Hole
• Best Early Reader: We Are in a Book!
• Best Picture Book With More Going On: The Bad Seed
• Best for a Kid Who Questions Everything: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!
• Best Funny-Spooky Picture Book: Creepy Pair of Underwear!
• Best Picture Book for a Kid Who Wants BIG: The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

1. Best Overall: Dog Man

By Dav Pilkey

On the six-year-old list I left Dog Man outside the ranking.

At seven?

Open the gate.

Scholastic's own Book Clubs listing puts the series at ages 7 to 10, grades 2 to 4, with Lexile levels running GN260L to GN530L. Dog Man himself has the head of a dog, the body of a police officer, and a job that requires him to chase criminals while remaining extremely susceptible to normal dog behavior.

That's already a sturdy comedy engine.

But the reason I'd put Dog Man first isn't that it's popular or silly.

It's approachable.

Panels break the story into pieces. Drawings carry the action and the emotion. Words change size. Sound effects matter. Flip-O-Rama makes the kid do something with their hands. A child who freezes at a solid page of prose can open Dog Man and see a way through it.

And underneath the lunacy Pilkey keeps coming back to friendship, persistence, forgiveness, and characters trying to be better than they were.

So yes, there's ridiculousness.

A great deal of it.

But there's a story under the ridiculousness.

Why it works at seven: The pictures carry part of the reading load while the humor keeps kids turning pages.

Best for: Graphic-novel kids, independent readers, reluctant readers, action fans, and children who think books could generally use more chaos.

2. Best for Kids Who Want Action: The Bad Guys

By Aaron Blabey

Mr. Wolf wants everybody to know something.

He's a good guy.

Minor problem.

He's surrounded by Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark and Mr. Piranha.

They don't have trustworthy faces.

Or reputations.

Or, in Mr. Snake's case, much resistance to swallowing Mr. Piranha.

Aaron Blabey built the series around characters who look like villains and are trying to become heroes. Scholastic lists the first book at ages 7 to 10, grades 2 to 5, 144 pages, Lexile 530L.

The books move.

Big drawings.

Short bursts of text.

Dialogue.

Action.

Characters making terrible choices with tremendous confidence.

That last one always helps.

The visual presentation also makes it feel far less intimidating than a conventional chapter book of the same length, which is the whole trick.

Why it works at seven: It looks manageable, it moves fast, and it hands kids a whole team of funny characters instead of one.

3. Best Funny Chapter Book: Dory Fantasmagory

By Abby Hanlon

Dory is the youngest in her family.

Her older siblings don't always want her tagging along.

Dory responds to this problem with imagination.

A lot of imagination.

Imaginary friends.

Imaginary enemies.

Wild stories.

Total commitment to whatever is happening inside Dory's head.

Dial published the 160-page book in 2014. Penguin Random House lists it for ages 7 to 10, grades 2 to 5, with a Lexile of 650L and Fountas & Pinnell M. Abby Hanlon writes and illustrates it herself, it has passed two million copies, and it took starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal.

This is exactly the jump I like at seven.

It feels like a chapter book.

It is a chapter book.

But Hanlon keeps pencil drawings and speech balloons mixed into the text, so the child isn't suddenly staring at a wall of words.

And Dory actually sounds like a kid, which is rarer than it should be.

Why it works at seven: A genuine step into longer fiction that never abandons pictures or kid-sized silliness.

4. Best for the Kid Who Thinks Underwear Is Literature: Captain Underpants

By Dav Pilkey

Readit has demanded this ranking.

"I didn't demand."

You made a sign.

"It was persuasive."

George and Harold are fourth graders, best friends, pranksters and comic-book creators. They accidentally hypnotize their principal, and their principal becomes convinced he is Captain Underpants.

Scholastic lists the series at ages 7 to 10, grades 2 to 5, around Lexile 640L.

Here's what Pilkey understands.

Sometimes a kid who says "I don't like reading" means:

"I haven't found the kind of reading I want yet."

Comics count.

Cartoons count.

Flip-O-Rama counts.

Ridiculous chapter titles count.

A superhero in his underwear absolutely counts.

Captain Underpants is not trying to disguise itself as Serious Reading.

That's part of the invitation.

Why it works at seven: Mischief, comics, action, bathroom-adjacent humor, and a format that doesn't punish a kid for liking pictures.

5. Best First Graphic Novel: Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea!

By Ben Clanton

Narwhal is cheerful.

Jelly is less convinced about things.

Good pairing.

Ben Clanton's first Narwhal and Jelly book holds three short stories about the new friends, with goofy conversation, a few underwater facts, and plenty of visual breathing room.

Tundra published the 64-page book in 2016 for ages 6 to 9, grades 1 to 4, at Lexile AD490L and Fountas & Pinnell M. It won the 2017 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Early Readers, and Kirkus named it one of the best books of its year.

I especially like this for seven-year-olds who want graphic novels but aren't ready for a long one.

The page doesn't look scary.

That matters more than people think.

There is room.

There are pictures.

There are jokes.

Finish one story and you've already won something.

Why it works at seven: Short graphic stories give a newer independent reader the comic-book experience without a big commitment.

6. Best Bridge to Chapter Books: Mercy Watson to the Rescue

By Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

Mercy Watson is a pig with priorities.

Mainly buttered toast.

I appreciate a character who knows what matters.

Candlewick lists the first book at ages 5 to 8, 80 pages, Lexile 450L. That band sits below seven, and I've put it here anyway on purpose: it's the book I'd reach for when a seven-year-old wants chapters but isn't ready to lose the pictures.

The child gets chapters.

More pages.

A longer story.

But Chris Van Dusen doesn't disappear just because the book has chapters now. His pictures still deliver the expressions, the movement, the absurdity, and the glorious sight of Mercy being Mercy.

Why it works at seven: The satisfaction of finishing a chapter book with enough illustration support to keep it welcoming.

7. Best Funny Adventure: The Princess in Black

By Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Princess Magnolia has a secret.

When monsters cause trouble, the fancy princess routine gets interrupted.

Time for the Princess in Black.

Candlewick published the 96-page book in 2014 for ages 5 to 8, grades K to 3, at Lexile 500L and Fountas & Pinnell L.

LeUyen Pham is a big reason this works for newer chapter-book readers.

The illustrations are everywhere.

The action stays visible.

The expressions stay funny.

And the contrast between proper princess life and monster-smashing hero life is where the comedy lives.

Seven is right in the pocket for this one, even though the age band starts lower.

Why it works at seven: Chapters feel grown-up, pictures stay plentiful, and the story runs humor and superhero action at the same time.

8. Best Short-Kid Comedy: Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid

By Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Stink Moody is worried about something.

He's short.

Then Judy measures him and it gets worse.

Apparently he's shrinking.

Candlewick positions the Stink books at ages 6 to 9, grades 1 to 4. Megan McDonald mixes chapter-book storytelling with Peter H. Reynolds's illustrations, comics, facts, and Stink's particular way of looking at things.

What I like is that the humor isn't floating on its own.

Stink actually cares about being short.

That's real to him.

The jokes grow out of his attempts to deal with it.

Kids understand that.

Something can bother you and still turn out funny.

Why it works at seven: Manageable chapters, comics, facts, sibling friction, and a problem that feels enormous because Stink is the one living it.

9. Best Book to Still Read Aloud: The Book With No Pictures

By B.J. Novak

Yes, we're seven.

No, the grown-up does not get the night off.

Some funny books get better once a child can read enough to see the joke before you say it.

This is one.

The kid spots the ridiculous word.

Looks at you.

You look at the word.

They know.

You know.

Nobody can stop what's coming.

That half-second before the adult has to say it is the whole joke.

At seven, kids can start reading sections themselves too. I still prefer turning the grown-up into the victim.

Tradition matters.

Why it works at seven: Stronger reading lets kids anticipate the joke, while the read-aloud keeps it social.

Belly Laugh Scale: 5/5, Laugh-Out-Loud Legend

Read the full Book With No Pictures review here.

10. Best Visual Joke: Sam & Dave Dig a Hole

By Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen

Sam and Dave want to find something spectacular.

So they dig.

And dig.

And make decisions that cause children everywhere to point urgently at the page.

Jon Klassen lets us see what Sam and Dave cannot.

That's the whole delicious frustration.

At seven, kids can do more than spot the joke. They can start thinking about why the pictures and the words aren't telling the same story. There are only 275 words in the book. Klassen is carrying the rest, which is why it took a 2015 Caldecott Honor and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award the same year.

Then comes the ending.

Hmm.

I wouldn't explain it right away.

Ask what they think.

Seven-year-olds are perfectly capable of weird theories.

Often excellent weird theories.

Why it works at seven: The child has to read the pictures, not only the words, and the ending rewards a second look.

Belly Laugh Scale: 4/5, Big-Time Belly Laughs

Read the full Sam & Dave Dig a Hole review here.

11. Best Early Reader: We Are in a Book!

By Mo Willems

Gerald and Piggie discover they're inside a book.

Piggie realizes the reader can hear them.

This creates opportunities.

Naturally.

Disney lists it at ages 3 to 5, 64 pages, and it took a 2011 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor. I keep it on a seven-year-old list for the same reason I put it first on the six-year-old one: easy to read is not the same as babyish, and at seven the child owns the reading instead of receiving it.

A child can read Gerald.

A friend can read Piggie.

Or a parent.

Or a sibling.

The book turns into a small performance.

And the joke about being inside a book gets more interesting the more a kid understands about how books work.

Why it works at seven: Kids read it independently without the humor feeling like a consolation prize for easy text.

There are twenty-five of these, and I ranked every Elephant & Piggie book in order if that's the direction your kid goes.

12. Best Picture Book With More Going On: The Bad Seed

By Jory John, illustrated by Pete Oswald

Seven-year-olds do not graduate from picture books.

I'm going to keep saying that.

The Bad Seed behaves badly.

That's funny.

Then Jory John lets us see why he turned so sour.

Now the story has another layer.

At seven, kids can increasingly talk about that without needing the book flattened into:

Be nice.

The Seed isn't instantly fixed.

He starts making different choices.

Sometimes.

That's more believable, and it's the part that stays with a seven-year-old.

Pete Oswald's expressions keep the character readable even as the emotional idea gets bigger.

Why it works at seven: The surface is funny and accessible while the character gives an older picture-book reader more to chew on.

Belly Laugh Scale: 3/5, Solid Chuckles

Read the full Bad Seed review here.

13. Best for a Kid Who Questions Everything: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!

By Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith

Alexander T. Wolf would like a word.

Apparently we've all been unfair to him.

The houses?

Accidents.

The pigs?

A misunderstanding.

The huffing and puffing?

He had a cold.

Sure, Al.

Seven is a particularly good age for this, because kids now understand that a narrator might be working them.

They know the original fairy tale.

They can compare the evidence.

That's funny, and it's also useful.

Not every confident voice earns automatic belief.

Why it works at seven: The humor depends on questioning the person telling the story, which gives a kid more to do than follow a plot.

Belly Laugh Scale: 4/5, Big-Time Belly Laughs

Read the full True Story of the 3 Little Pigs review here.

14. Best Funny-Spooky Picture Book: Creepy Pair of Underwear!

By Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown

Jasper Rabbit's glowing underwear refuses to leave.

That sentence remains funny at seven.

Possibly at forty-seven.

Peter Brown gives the underwear a green glow against a mostly dark world, so kids get to hunt for the problem while Jasper gets steadily more desperate.

The story also carries enough suspense to make the comedy work harder.

Funny gets funnier when we're a little nervous.

Not terrified.

Just:

There they are again.

Why it works at seven: Visual spotting, safe suspense, a determined protagonist, and an antagonist that is underwear.

Belly Laugh Scale: 4/5, Big-Time Belly Laughs

Read the full Creepy Pair of Underwear! review here.

15. Best Picture Book for a Kid Who Wants BIG: The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

By Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Adam Rex

Rock.

Paper.

Scissors.

Warriors.

The joke is commitment.

Drew Daywalt treats the three as though ancient legends are being born.

Adam Rex agrees.

That's the important part.

Nobody backs away from the silliness.

Seven-year-olds already know the hand game, which means the book gets to build on something they own.

Then give Rock a voice.

A proper one.

Not:

"Hello, I am Rock."

No.

Rock has been waiting his whole life for combat.

Give the rock some dignity.

Why it works at seven: Familiar game, enormous performance opportunities, ridiculous battles, and humor that has nothing to do with reading level.

Belly Laugh Scale: 5/5, Laugh-Out-Loud Legend

Read the full Legend of Rock Paper Scissors review here.

What Changes at Seven?

Here's the shift.

At seven I start caring more about reading momentum than reading level.

Does the kid look at the next page and think:

I can do that.

Does finishing a chapter make them want another?

Do the pictures help when the words get harder?

Can they work something out from context?

Do they laugh enough that reading doesn't feel like a test?

That's why Dog Man, The Bad Guys, Dory, Narwhal, Mercy Watson and The Princess in Black sit so high.

They give a developing reader handles.

Pictures.

Panels.

Short chapters.

Speech bubbles.

White space.

Repeated characters.

Series familiarity.

All useful.

If You're Shopping for a Second Grader

Most seven-year-olds are in second grade, and second grade is where the gap between kids in one classroom gets wide.

One child is reading Dog Man alone in a corner.

Another still wants the pictures doing most of the work.

Both are fine.

For a second grader reading comfortably on their own, I'd go The Bad Guys, Dory Fantasmagory or Captain Underpants.

For a second grader who's still building confidence, Narwhal, Mercy Watson or The Princess in Black.

For a second grader who has decided reading isn't for them, Dog Man, every time. There is now a full second-grade list sorted that way.

And for a class read-aloud where you need the whole room, the picture books at the bottom of this list are the ones that perform.

Seven Is a Great Age for a Series

Finding one book a child likes is good.

Finding a series they like is better.

Now you don't have to sell the next reading experience from scratch.

They already know Dog Man.

They know Mr. Wolf.

They know Dory.

They know Mercy.

They know Narwhal and Jelly.

The cover changes. The invitation doesn't.

That matters for a kid still deciding whether reading is something school makes them do or something they choose.

And Yes, Graphic Novels Count

Comics are reading.

Speech bubbles are reading.

Captions are reading.

Following panel order is reading.

Combining pictures and text to work out what happened is reading.

Figuring out a joke from an expression the words never explained is reading.

I'm far more interested in a seven-year-old voluntarily reading eighty pages of a graphic novel than reluctantly staring at twelve pages of a proper book they hate.

Give me engagement first.

We can build from there.

Don't Throw Out the Picture Books

The opposite mistake happens too.

A child starts chapter books and suddenly the picture books get treated as too young.

Why?

Sam & Dave Dig a Hole requires visual inference.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! asks a kid to question a narrator.

Creepy Pair of Underwear! uses color and composition to build suspense.

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors is a performance playground.

That's not preschool leftovers.

Those are different reading experiences.

Keep the shelf mixed.

Jungle Jimmy's Quick Picks

For the seven-year-old who says "I don't like reading," try Dog Man or The Bad Guys.

For a kid ready for a funny chapter book, Dory Fantasmagory.

For a gentler bridge, Mercy Watson.

For a first graphic novel, Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea!

For superheroes, The Princess in Black.

For mischief and underwear, Captain Underpants.

For a read-aloud that still makes the grown-up work, The Book With No Pictures.

If your kid is younger than this list, I built a five-year-old list and a six-year-old list that lean much harder on picture books. And if the real problem is a kid who can read and won't, that's a different list again.

A Belly Laugh Books Pick for Seven

Seven is a good age for the joke in Professor Nincompoop, because by seven the kids are the ones who start seeing through the confident grown-up.

The professor has discovered a new species he's certain will get him into the Professors Hall of Fame. His two biggest fans, Nick and Tess, start to smell a rat. So he doubles down on a story that sounds a lot more like science fiction than science.

Bryan Cranston read it out loud on Storyline Online and it passed a million views, which earned it Storyline's Kids' Top Pick seal.

That's why I'd put it next to The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! on this list.

Different stories.

Same useful little spark:

Wait a minute. Is this guy actually telling the truth?

Seven-year-olds are getting very good at "wait a minute."

Encourage it.

Final Explorer Verdict

If I could hand one funny book to a random seven-year-old knowing nothing else about them, I'd start with Dog Man.

Not because every seven-year-old will love it.

No book gets that promise.

I'd start there because it removes so many of the reasons a kid decides reading is work.

Big blocks of text?

No.

Nothing happening?

Definitely not.

No pictures?

Plenty.

Too serious?

We have a police officer with a dog's head.

And once a kid finds one book they voluntarily carry off somewhere, don't interrupt the miracle by asking whether it's challenging enough.

Let them read.

Then give them another.

Readit?

"Can I have Dog Man?"

Sure.

"Bad Guys too?"

Fine.

"Captain Underpants?"

Okay.

"Dory?"

How many hands do you have?

"I'll make two trips."

That's a reader.

Keep exploring, Story Seekers!

Jungle Jimmy & Readit