A multicoloured target on the front cover of Laugh Even Louder includes as its bull’s eye a laughing child. Open the front cover and you’ll hear a child’s laughter. The first page is covered with the word ‘giggle’. There is no prize for guessing the intent of this title! This is a book full of jokes, some short, others longer. Contributions come from a wide variety of well-known Australians including Adam Hills, Ann James and Kostya Tszyu, and also from children all around the country. This is the second collection of jokes published to benefit Camp Quality, an organisation which supports children with cancer and their families. The first was Laugh Out Loud.

Laugh Even Louder includes jokes for all ages, from simple ‘knock-knocks’ to longer and more complex anecdotes. There is some theme grouping, and some grouping of contributors eg four well-known cricketers tell their jokes on the same opening, but mostly the jokes are a mixture, catering to a variety of tastes. The final page of Laugh Even Louder invites reader to enter their jokes on line for the chance of publication and to win great prizes. Travis Nixon’s winning joke for this collection is on page 19. There can never be too much laughter in the world, and when the book has the added benefit of helping those who perhaps most need to find something to laugh about, there is added reason to recommend it. Recommended for anyone who could use a laugh.

Laugh Even Louder, various authors, illustrator Bob Seal
Scholastic 2007
ISBN: 9781741690224