Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Bunny learns telling jokes is tough in funny school tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
The day before the first day of school, Bunny is excited and confident, ready to establish his identity as a funny guy by wowing his fellow animal classmates with his jokes. For example, "Why are socks so good at golf? Because there's always a hole in one!" and "Why should you buy a boat? Many of them are on sail!" But when he tries them out, no one laughs, and Piggy dubs him UNFUNNY BUNNY. Then Hedgehog offers to help him practice his stand-up act, and the two of them work hard writing jokes together. He not only shows his schoolmates he can tell funny jokes, he also gains a new friend.
Is It Any Good?
This lighthearted tale of failing and not giving up offers a relatable lesson as well as a bunch of jokes kids can amuse their own friends and family with. If they want to dig deeper, they can contemplate what it is that makes each joke funny. Is it the pun? The homonym? The topic? And why are the so-called unfunny ones less funny? Author and veteran comedian Kenan Thompson knows the pain of telling a joke that falls flat.
Unfunny Bunny is both a cute school friendship tale and a lively joke book, and Tony Neal's digital art and appealing cartoon animals add loads of personality and telling facial expressions to the familiar setting. It's fun to see animals big and small act like school kids—an elephant or a mouse sitting at a classroom desk, an alligator swinging on a playground swing. There are two pages of 23 pretty sophisticated jokes at the end. Adults or older kids may need to explain quite a few of the references for younger readers. ("What's a bunny's favorite action movie? Hop Gun.")
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the jokes in Unfunny Bunny. Did they make you laugh? Which ones are the funniest?
Do you like to make other kids or family members laugh? How does it make you feel when someone laughs at your joke or something you do hoping to make them laugh?
When Bunny practices and works with his friend he gets better at joke-telling. If you try something hard, do you find it gets easier if you stick with it?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Illustrator : Tony Neal
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Animals , Friendship , School
- Character Strengths : Communication , Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Feiwel & Friends
- Publication date : January 13, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 6
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : January 16, 2026
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