11 Picture Books That Make Almost No Sense to Grown Ups

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr. and Lois Ehlert
I know this is a classic. But the more I read this to my daughter, the more perplexed I am. Where are these letters’ parents when they’re climbing up the coconut tree? What’s at the top that they all want so much? What’s with the text showing the lowercase letters as uppercase and confusing me? Chicka chicka boom boom, my common sense is headed for doom.

The Nonsense Show, by Eric Carle
The name says it all! This is one of my new favorites from Eric Carle, despite it making literally no sense. It’s surrealism meets nonsense with a heavy dash of the preposterous. Your kids will think anything is possible after finishing this picture book, thanks to the absolute absurdity of it all.

Today Is My Day, by Anushka Ravishankar and Piet Grobler
Little Tala is tired of people telling her what to do, so she lets her imagination go wild in this sweet picture book. It’s a perfect look at the mind of a child and will leave you scratching your head and wondering how in the world she came up with some of these ideas. And, let’s be honest, you’ll be a little nervous around your own budding creative child.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett
How does food fall from the sky? And why can’t it do this when it’s dinner time and you’re exhausted and trying to convince everyone that cereal is a well-balanced supper?

Duck! Rabbit!, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
Using a classic optical illusion, your kids will have a blast trying to decide if the picture is of a rabbit with long ears, or a duck and his bill. You will probably spend twenty minutes turning the book around in your hands. The dialogue is very quick and funny, but your kids will totally have one up on you.

It’s an Orange Aardvark!, by Michael Hall
Full of color, this picture book will become a favorite in your house very quickly. Five carpenter ants try to figure out what is making the sounds outside of their home, with lots of page cut outs and a fun surprise ending.

Guess Again!, by Mac Barnett and Adam Rex
A guessing game with silly rhymes, this book is totally absurd, with lots of twisted endings to the author’s guessing stanzas.

Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business, by Esphyr Slobodkina
This was one of my favorites as a kid, but it’s a little out there as an adult. I mean, a group of monkeys stealing all of the caps from a man and imitating everything he does? A little bizarre, but still one of the greatest children’s books out there.

Fox in Socks, by Dr. Seuss
You know why this book makes zero sense? Because you can barely read it. It’s a giant tongue-tangler of a book, and so much harder than you think to finish. I guess you can argue that all Dr. Seuss books are a bit nonsensical, but this one takes the cake. (And the socks.)

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
Thanks to Santa, this has quickly become one of my daughter’s favorite books and I find myself more confused every time I read it. Are we supposed to be scared of the wild things? Do they want to eat Max like I want to eat my daughter because she’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen? And during those three pages where there’s no text and the wild rumpus has began, I never know what to do. I just wait until my kid tells me to turn the page. This is a classic for sure, but still makes no sense to me.

Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
This was the first book I consistently read to my daughter, but it still makes no sense. Why in the world is there a bottle of mush in this little bunny’s room? And why is it going to stay there all night? Come on, mama bunny. Let’s clear out the dishes already.
What are your favorite children’s books that make no sense?