Picture books are some of the most important objects in a child's life. A large 2010 study led by sociologist Mariah Evans, covering 27 countries, found that growing up in a home full of books was linked to roughly three extra years of schooling, an effect comparable to that of parents' education (Source). Researchers and librarians agree on the basic message: books at home matter.
That does not mean every book is a safe bet at bedtime. The pages below have been shared online for years as proof that children's publishing has a strange side. Look closer, though, and they fall into very different groups. Some are real, well-loved picture books that tackle bodies, death or family violence head on. Some are humour books for adults dressed up as children's books. Others are deliberate parodies, never sold to children at all. For each one we explain what it is, who made it where known, and why it raises eyebrows. It is a good reminder to read a book yourself before you read it aloud.
Real books about bodies and where babies come from
Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi
Japanese author and illustrator Taro Gomi first published this book in 1977 as Minna Unchi. An English translation appeared in the United States in 1993, and in Britain it is sold as Everybody Poos. The cover's bitten apple puzzles adults, but the book's point is simple: every living thing eats, so every living thing poops. It is widely used to help toddlers with toilet training.
The boy and girl elephants
This spread, from an unidentified picture book, shows a male and a female elephant relieving themselves. The drawings are roughly accurate: in real elephants the male's stream comes from under the belly, while the female's comes from further back, between the hind legs. Books like this teach young children, plainly and without embarrassment, that boy and girl bodies differ.
The "smart" and "stupid" elephants
The same two elephant drawings turn up again here, now standing dry and labelled "Smart" and "Stupid". The only visible difference is the direction they face. It looks very much like a relabelled or edited version of the previous page rather than a lesson from a real book, so treat it as an internet joke.
Bath-time bubbles
A grown-up and a child sit in the bath while bubbles rise to the surface, with the text explaining that people fart too. The style matches Japanese "body science" picture books of the same family as Everyone Poops, which explain digestion with deadpan honesty. Children usually find this page hilarious; adults tend to be the ones who blush.
I Need a New Bum! by Dawn McMillan
Written by New Zealand author Dawn McMillan and illustrated by Ross Kinnaird, this picture book follows a boy who discovers a crack in his bottom and decides it must be broken. He imagines replacements made of all sorts of materials before learning that everyone's bum looks the same. The title made it a bestseller with children and a viral hit with adults.
Mummy Laid an Egg! by Babette Cole
English author Babette Cole (1950–2017) was famous for funny books on awkward subjects. In this one, two parents tell their children silly stories about where babies come from, and the children correct them with their own cheerful, accurate drawings. It has been used for years as a gentle, humorous introduction to sex education, which is why the startled dog and cat on the cover are not alone in their surprise.
Real books that tackle hard subjects
Drop Dead by Babette Cole
Another Babette Cole title, published in 1996 and winner of the Kurt Maschler Award. Two grandparents explain to their grandchildren how they grew from babies into old people, and the cover's upturned legs hint at where the story ends. Its blunt but playful approach makes it one of the few picture books that talk about ageing and death without euphemism.
Edwardo: The Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World by John Burningham
John Burningham (1936–2019), a two-time Kate Greenaway Medal winner, wrote this story about an ordinary boy who becomes rougher, ruder and messier each time adults scold him for it. When people start noticing his good moments instead, he changes. The cover shows Edwardo kicking a doll, but the book is really a lesson for parents about the power of labels.
Mommy's Black Eye by William George Bentrim
This cover is often laughed at online, but the book has a serious purpose. Illustrated by Christi Schofield, it uses a family of bears to help children who live with domestic violence understand that what is happening is not their fault. If you or a child you know is affected, contact a local domestic abuse helpline or the police in an emergency.
I'd Really Like to Eat a Child by Sylviane Donnio
Written by Sylviane Donnio and illustrated by Dorothée de Monfreid, this French picture book stars Achilles, a little crocodile who is tired of bananas and announces that he wants a child for dinner. When he finally meets a girl, she is much bigger than he is and easily wins the encounter. The alarming title hides a sweet, funny story about growing up and eating your fruit.
Grown-up humour that looks like a kids' book
All My Friends Are Dead
Avery Monsen and Jory John created this book for adults, published by Chronicle Books in 2010. Its simple drawings and large type borrow the look of a picture book, but each page is a dark joke about loneliness and mortality, starting with a dinosaur whose friends are all extinct. It sits in gift shops, not in the children's section.
The worm's point of view
This cheerful worm comes from the same adult humour book. Its friendly reminder that worms will eventually eat everyone's dead friends is a nod to decomposition, which is quite true. The joke works precisely because the page looks so much like something you would read to a toddler.
Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal by Joel Salatin
Despite the bright, childlike farm cover, this is not a children's book. Virginia farmer Joel Salatin wrote it in 2007 as a protest against food-safety and zoning rules that, in his view, make small, local farming almost impossible. The title gets shared as a joke about adult life, but inside it is a serious argument about regulation.
A parent's honest comic
A child hiding between a tired father's legs proposes a game based on toilet humour. The scruffy, autobiographical style suggests a comic about parenting written for adults rather than a picture book for children. Any parent of a small child will recognise the expression on the father's face.
Parody covers that were never real books
It's Not Going to Get Any Better When You Grow Up
This cover borrows the soft painted style of 1980s and 1990s children's books, then adds a brutally honest title. The author credit, Drew Bledsoe, is the name of a former American football quarterback, a sign that it is a joke rather than a real publication. It belongs to a long online tradition of fake "children's books that never made it".
Little Bobby's Drunk Again
A vintage-style pencil illustration of children playing under a tree has been given a new, shocking title and an invented author. The original drawing was most likely an innocent scene of a fallen child, which is what makes the parody land. No such book was ever published.
Go To Sleep (Forever)
This cover imitates the small, cheap "Elf Books" sold to American families in the mid-20th century, right down to the 25-cent price and the "washable" binding note. The older brother's hand over the baby's face and the word "forever" turn a sweet sibling scene into dark comedy about jealousy. It is a parody, not a vintage original.
Odd pages of unknown origin
A karate lesson in "Japan"
This page seems to come from a children's book about countries of the world, with karate students and a sumo wrestler standing in for Japan. The green cloud trailing behind the high kick looks suspiciously like something other than effort, which is why it went viral. The book itself has not been identified.
Touch the cow
Touch-and-feel board books ask toddlers to pat textured patches on animals, and this one has a cow with felt-like spots. The joke is the oddly stern command beside it, which sounds less like an invitation and more like an order. Sometimes a children's book is funny only because adults read it in a grown-up voice.
A pig in the bed
A child in pyjamas climbs into bed beside an enormous, sleeping pig in a nightcap, with a teddy bear and a cow toy nearby. Out of context the scene looks bizarre, but in many picture books animals share beds with children as a symbol of comfort or as part of a dream. Without the source book, the full story remains a mystery.
How to choose picture books with confidence
Most of the strangest pages above are either useful books about real subjects or jokes aimed at adults. A few simple habits help you tell the difference before bedtime:
- Read it yourself first. A two-minute flick through tells you more than the cover or title ever will.
- Check who it is for. Publishers list a recommended age range, and humour books for adults are usually shelved apart from children's titles.
- Do not judge by the title alone. Books on poop, death or family violence can be exactly what a child needs at the right moment.
- Use librarians. Children's librarians know which books handle sensitive topics well and can suggest alternatives.
And when a page leaves you speechless, it might be worth asking your child what they think it means. Their answer is often the funniest part.
Sources: Wikipedia: Everyone Poops; Wikipedia: Babette Cole; Wikipedia: John Burningham; Evans et al. (2010), Research in Social Stratification and Mobility. Images via Imgur, Reddit, Twitter, Acidcow and Amazon as credited under each picture.
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